Thoughts of the Unknown
by PrincessPeace15
Summary: What if those we know as OCs are just average civilians of Mobius, and those we know as the Sonic characters are just the famous heroes and villains of Mobius? And shipping is always fun, right? What if there was a talk show about Sonic shippings? (VERY OC-driven. If OCs sicken you, run and never look back.)
1. Prologue

A serene night. One where the sun had just set, and the newborn wave of chilliness in the air is just growing accustomed.

Some decided to take full advantage in the beauty and comfort and sit outside. Others, though, cozied up under a blanket and pasted their eyes to a magical box of fun.

This time is rather well known as the time for primetime television.

In between the various crimes and romances that played out on these nights, a commercial had just been implemented. Not for a new food, or some new clothing sale somewhere…

…but for a new show.

"Have you ever wanted to watch as normal civilians discussed the even probable romance that sprouts between the most famous heroes and villains on Mobius?" a female spokesperson bubbled. "Tune into this channel every Friday to see 'Thoughts of the Unknown,' where people like you and me discuss the shipping that's dealt out among this world's most popular characters!"

And then, it'd just fade into the next great deal on cable.

* * *

 **Author's note: And this is where YOU all come in! Yeah… This new talk show features OCs! Wanna see yours on the show? Each week, we'll be addressing a new Sonic shipping, starting with SonAmy! All you have to do is tell me this: Who the OC you want to see is, who their love interest is, anything else you want me to know, and what their thoughts are on the shipping being addressed. And only one OC per person, if you would.**

 **Question for the reader: Should this be more like a story or more like a script in format?**


	2. Episode 1 (Sonic x Amy)

_So let's say you decided to give this odd show a try._

 _This is just a taste of what you'd see._

The camera panned so that the entirety of a lively stage could be seen.

"Hello, viewers of primetime!" a female voice announced. "Welcome to 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'"

Then, the camera stayed set on the dead center of a stage, where a brown-furred and blue-eyed fox, donned with brown hair, a black shirt, black pants, and black and white sneakers, walked onstage with a microphone wrapped so delicately in her hands.

"I'm your host, Rachel the Fox!" she smiled. "Welcome to our first episode! This week's discussion? The shipping between Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose."

There were two burgundy sofas waiting patiently on the stage, and Rachel casually seated herself in the one to the left.

"I, myself, don't believe in it," she sighed. "I mean, he takes total pride in hightailing it out of the area sometimes when she's around. I can't say the same for Amy… but that's just my opinion. This week, we have one super-mega-friendly guest. Trust me, he's a card. Please give a warm welcome to our brave… er, lovely guest… Louis Morgan the Pandarkon!"

Emerging from the curtains behind the stage, and listening as everyone showered him with applause, was Louis himself. His head may have been that of a shark, but the teeth in his smile were as pearly as the clouds in the day sky. His chest and abdomen may have been that of a panda, but his paw waved with pure happiness. Everything from the waist down may have been that of a lion, but he strode onstage and to his seat with pure and utter pride.

As he sat, Rachel smiled "Please, introduce yourself!"

"Hi, everyone!" Louis beamed. "I'm Louis Morgan, I'm super friendly… but I'm also lonely."

Some in the audience nodded sympathetically.

"Me too, brother," Rachel sighed. "Got your eye on anyone in particular? Come on, we all do!"

Some in the audience nodded frantically. Rachel's mind temporarily flashed with the image of a telekinetic hedgehog.

"Well…" Louis blushed. "…I think Vanilla the Rabbit is really cute."

"Ah," Rachel nodded. "Well… Tell us. What are your thoughts on Sonamy?"

"They're cool," Louis shrugged.

An awkward silence washed out over even the audience.

"…That's… it?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah," Louis shrugged. "I wish the best for them."

"Well…" Rachel stuttered. "…A-Alright… Well, that's the end for this week's episode! Stay tuned for next week when we discuss… Tails and Amy! Would their name just be TailsAmy or…"

Louis shrugged as the audience began to start an awkward applause.

* * *

 **Author's note: Perhaps I should be a bit clearer. See, this episode was so awkwardly short because… well… the one near-complete submission I got didn't include an opinion on Sonamy. I update this on a strict weekly basis (I have to be sick or inconvenienced for anything to be late), so… there's always time to sign up, and one OC can appear on as many episodes as its owner pleases! Remember: who the OC is, who their love interest is (if they have any), and their opinion on the shipping that is to be addressed. All that, and the OC makes an appearance! Still, though… Huge thanks to the one known as "Christian Wolf27" for the submission! You rock, man!**


	3. Episode 2 (Tails x Amy)

**Author's note: I couldn't do this last week because I had not a single complete submission to look at. Now, you have the one known as "random gal" to pour all of your love out to. Thanks to her, this was able to come back. I was seriously considering cancelling this…**

* * *

Some people were starting to grow to like the show. Some liked how difficult it was to be left out. Others were honestly wriggling in their seats because they already knew that it was going to be absolutely hilarious. The show had a charm to it; for that, people watched it.

However… people didn't volunteer to be a part of it. And for that, some watched in complete bewilderment as the timeslot for it was instead taken up by another crappy cop show. Indeed. The show was not able to air that week.

The next week, however… was when the show came back up to say "Missed me? I missed you, too!"

Over at the show itself… the audience sat, beginning to cheer as the theme song began to play over the loudspeakers. It was a new beginning, more enriching than the coldest rain shower that had ever rained. The opening of a newly polished door, _perhaps_.

The show's hostess, Rachel the Fox, strode onstage with a new and exciting confidence. Everyone knew it; the news that the show would have to go on a week's hiatus hit her like a bomb.

Now, she was back. She never knew she'd actually love it this much.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome _back_ …" She smiled even wider. "…to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The crowd _roared_ with a frenzied excitement.

"Tonight," she continued. "We'll be discussing the shipping of a young genius and a young, hopeless romantic. Now, our guest for tonight, as you may know, is the big reason we're on the air tonight, so I'll need you all to give him a warm welcome. Like, summer-on-Emerald-Coast warm. Please welcome… Mr. Levi Lester!"

Everyone burst into a swamp of cheers as Levi walked onstage. A melanistic, adult-like leopard, he was. With his neatly-ironed suit, he could have made this entire thing look like a royal ball! Not that he would be the life of a party, though; he simply walked onstage and took his seat, as Rachel took her own.

"Thank you so much for being on the show, Levi," Rachel said. "I… understand you're a student at a prestigious tech and engineering university?"

"Yes," Levi nodded. "That's correct."

"Cool," said Rachel.

"And by the way," said Levi. "It's all thanks to my dorm mate that I'm here. He's all about the celebrity and entertainment media. He saw the show and instantly said to me 'You know, I think you'd be an interesting guest.' Of course, I denied that, but when the show had to stay off the air for a week, he nagged and nagged me. I had no clue what to say, so… I'm here now."

"…Great," said Rachel. "Do… you like anyone in particular?"

"Nothing beats being around my books and machines," sighed Levi. "I have no interest for myself in this concept you call love."

"To each his own," Rachel shrugged. "Now, then… We are addressing TailsAmy this week."

"I notice that," Levi nodded uneasily.

"What do you think?" asked Rachel. "Is it hopeless? Something beautiful waiting to shoot up from oblivion?"

"…I'm honestly not that fond of the topic of …romance," said Levi. "So before I try to give an answer… What do you think?"

"I, myself, don't see it," Rachel explained. "I mean, they're both innocent and fun… but there's not that special thing there… Chemistry's the word, right?"

"I would say so," said Levi. "This… just doesn't seem like it would work. I've never experimented with romance, and frankly, I don't believe I plan to in the immediate future. Chemistry, though? Now, I can tell you that nitrogen and oxygen don't react when mixed together at room temperature. I believe the same result would come out if you mix Tails with Amy at room temperature. Nothing special. It would go absolutely nowhere if it were somehow to take off. I don't think it'll take off. Look at Tails; he has ultimate happiness just taking part in his favorite hobbies. Besides… don't you think he's a bit young for love-related pursuits? And Amy's heart is actually set on a completely different person. I know one thing for sure: Nothing good will ever come out of stealing what's not yours."

"That's… actually pretty deep," Rachel marveled.

"That's my take on it," Levi sighed. "I know no more."

"Well, thank you again for telling us your take," Rachel smiled, doing one last handshake with Levi.

They both stood, Levi itching to head backstage.

"Thank you all for tuning in this week," said Rachel. "If you don't see us, it's likely because we don't have a guest, okay? Alright. If all goes well, you should be able to tune back in next Friday, when we discuss… Vecpio! Everyone's been joking about it on the set… so now, we get to make it happen! The agency leader and the ninja! A Yaoi shipping! See you then!"

* * *

 **Author's note: I think it'd be more effective if I put my notes in a list.**

 **1\. I'm NOT just putting random people together. All shippings addressed, AND the one being addressed next week, are all shippings that fanfics have been centered around.**

 **2\. An OC that's already been on the show can definitely be on the show as many times as they wish! If I get enough complete submissions, multiple guests can be in one episode! If you'd like an OC REfeatured, all I need is the opinion!**

 **3\. Remember: A complete submission entails who the OC is, who their love interest is (if they have any), and their opinion on the shipping being addressed. NO LESS!**

 **4\. From this point on, I am now taking input as to what shippings you'd like addressed in the future! I'd actually** _ **really**_ **appreciate it if you'd tell me…**

 **5\. There is a possibility that there could be some weeks without an episode. If that happens, it's for one reason: there were no guests to be had. Let's hope I can update as many Fridays as possible!**


	4. Episode 3 (Vector x Espio)

**Props: Huge thanks to both JellyfishSoup and the one known as "random gal." It's fans like you that quite literally make this possible. Apologies in advance if I mess up: I try my best, but nobody's perfect. Oh, and another round of thanks to JellyfishSoup for suggesting next week's discussion!**

* * *

Some's eyebrows rose as they saw the show come on. They would also say "Wow, this actually came on for two straight weeks?"

The audience in the studio, though, couldn't be happier. They cheered madly as the theme song washed over them, and as the show's hostess, Rachel, walked onstage.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the third episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she beamed. "This week, we're actually hitting a milestone. Tonight, if you haven't noticed the additional chair, is our first time having more than one guest in an episode!"

The audience roared with praise.

"Tonight," she continued. "We're addressing our first Yaoi shipping, and that is Vecpio… or Vector and Espio, for you fancy-name-disliking folks. How fitting that we discuss this shortly after a great movement has taken place in a country on Earth! You all know what I'm talking about, right?"

Record-breaking cheers of happiness accompanied this.

"Anyway, I'm sure our guests are just itching to make themselves visible," she said. "One was our guest on last week's episode. Please, with all your heart, welcome… Levi Lester!"

The very same Levi Lester quickly paced to his seat. Still not much of a crowd person.

"And also welcome our second guest as warmly as physically possible…" Rachel announced. "…Lyra Vega!"

An orange hedgehog (with fangs and bat wings) in a purple shirt, midnight-black jeans, and yellow sneakers strode onstage. Most in the audience wondered, because of the red goggles on her head and the bandana around her neck, what kinds of adventures she had gotten into. A very minute fraction of the audience probably mistook her fangs for the features of a vampire. However, they would hopefully learn that that was NOT the case.

"Hi, guys!" she said before hopping into her designated seat beside Levi.

"I am super happy to have you both on the show," Rachel said as she took her own seat. "Levi, it's great that you've returned!"

"Y-Yes," Levi nodded. "I… suppose…"

"And Lyra!" said Rachel.

"That's me!" Lyra bubbled.

"It's great to meet you!" said Rachel.

"It feels awesome to be here, Rachel," Lyra smiled.

"Now, feel free to not answer this if you so desire," said Rachel. "But it's something I like to ask my guests. Do you have your heart set on any one of the famous figures of Mobius?"

With a slight hint of pink on her cheeks, Lyra replied "Oh! Well… Y-Yeah, I do! His name is Knuckles the Echidna!"

As some of the audience "Ooh"ed, one or two were fuming to themselves, and Rachel had no clue what to say for a second. For she knew what shipping next week's discussion was going to address.

"Neat!" she decided on. "Now… Vector and Espio. The upbeat leader of his own detective agency, and a calm and cool ninja working with the same agency. I see the two almost like fire and ice. I mean, I thought Espio was always annoyed by Vector's antics... but that's just me. Levi, let's start with you. What do you think?"

"Those two in a romantic relationship?" Levi explained. "I have absolutely nothing against those who are gay, but… for some reason, it still seems like a strange concept to me. They are both guys. Straight guys, I believe."

"You never know," Lyra shrugged.

"And love seems to be able to test so many boundaries, even those of biological reproduction," Levi went on. "I'm just quite certain that they weren't… well… you know. I won't believe it unless they confirmed it themselves. Well, hang on… When you take their personalities alone into account… Contrary to what you stated, Rachel, I believe it could _possibly_ work out. Vector is loud, outgoing, and very approachable in terms of friendliness. You think this would get on Espio's nerves, but I believe that his being polite, quiet, level-headed and wise would make for a rather nicely balanced relationship. Still… my refusal to believe it unless they confirmed it still stands."

A moment of silence went by so that Rachel could double-check that Levi was finished with his opinion.

"Interesting," Rachel marveled. "I suppose you do have a point… or two. Now, Lyra…"

"Finally…" Lyra murmured.

"Are they possible, or someone's wicked fantasy?" asked Rachel.

"My take on it is rather simple," said Lyra. "I don't think that it would work, simply because… well… Just imagine the awkwardness that would bring to Charmy! I mean, imagine if you were just going about your day, enjoying life while you're still young… and your two teammates are telling each other 'I love you' and kissing each other! You'd _have_ to feel sorry for the kid!"

"I suppose that's true," Rachel had to agree. She then went to stand up and get through the show's outro.

"Uh, Rachel!" said Levi. "Real quick… before you end the show…"

Rachel slowly sat back down and said "Yeah?"

"I must ask, out of pure and burning curiosity," Levi requested. "…Do you have anyone special?"

The audience gasped. Some had bellowed out into full-blown fits of laughter.

"Yeah, tell us!" said Lyra. "I mean… unless you're a wimp…"

"It's not that," Rachel laughed. "It's just… I don't technically _have_ anyone special. I'm not… with anyone."

"Well, do _you_ have _your_ heart set on anyone?" asked Lyra. "Who's the Knuckles to your Lyra?"

"Well…" Rachel shook, going over the possible outcomes of the big reveal. "…The famous figures of Mobius probably don't watch this, right?"

"It's likely that they don't," said Levi.

"Either way, you made me say that I love Knuckles," Lyra argued. "So you have to-"

"Alright," Rachel said, heaving a deep breath, still having mixed feelings on making this a known thing. "…Silver. There, I said it. I've got my heart set on Silver the Hedgehog."

A mixed, but still loud response came from the audience. No fits of outrage, but some laughter, and some mischievous reactions.

"Now, you all know," Rachel smiled. "It's no longer a mystery for you all. Let it be the new freakin' trending Twitter hashtag! Thanks for the question, Levi!"

"Don't… mention it," Levi laughed timidly.

"And thus, the episode ends _now,_ " said Rachel, standing up and facing the camera. "Thank you, Levi and Lyra, for being here. Next week… Lyra, you're going to hate me for this, aren't you?"

"Hate you for what?" asked Lyra, with a menacing mixture of anger and fear.

"Next week…" Rachel sighed. "…We address the shipping of Knuckles and Amy!" She positioned her foot so that she could run. "See you then!"

The cameras shut off. The audience started to exit the studio, Levi quickly dashed offstage, and Lyra merely sat in her seat, arms crossed and a death glare aimed at Rachel.

"For that," she said. "I… gotcha."

"Hey," Rachel shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, Silvaze is probably somewhere on the list. One of these weeks, _that's_ gonna happen…"

* * *

 **Author's note: This is probably the episode of this that I had the most fun with! Thank you again, JellyfishSoup and the one known as "random gal," for making it possible! Submission guidelines haven't changed, and OCs that have featured already can feature as many times as they'd like, so… feel free!**


	5. Episode 4 (Knuckles x Amy)

**Props: This week, thanks goes to SorryLads, for both tonight's guest and next week's topic. Fans like you are what keep this possible.**

* * *

Three straight weeks. Seemed like a record worthy of the books.

For yet another straight week, the theme song boomed and echoed out over the studio where this show took place. And for yet another straight week, the hostess, Rachel, walked onstage, looking eager to get the thing started.

"Welcome to this episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she announced. "Tonight, we've only got one guest, but from what I've heard, he's a super joy to be around… and to be taught by! Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome… to Poseidon the Echidna!"

Walking onstage and to his seat was said Poseidon, the blue echidna. Not figuratively blue, but literally, as proven by the smile on his face. On him was a green woolen turtleneck jumper, an unbuttoned lab coat that draped down to just above his knees, black pants, and yellow and white boots, which black laces intertwined through. Oh, and who could forget the square-frame glasses that, in many people's eyes, instantly fit him with the label of an ultimate nerd?

Both he and Rachel sat down in the chairs onstage. There seemed to be so much space without the third one there… but only some had that keen of an eye.

"Welcome, and thank you, Poseidon, for being on the show!" said Rachel. "So… What do you do?"

"I'm a teacher at a local high school," Poseidon replied.

"I hear your students really love you and your class," said Rachel. "I also hear you've… maintained the windmill move for three straight minutes?"

"By the power of motion and physics!" Poseidon bubbled. "…Yes. That's right."

"Cool!" said Rachel. "Now… Oh, I almost forgot! This is something I like to ask my guests. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but… Do you have your heart set on anyone?"

"On any of the famous figures of Mobius?" Poseidon replied. "Not at all. Who needs celebrities and all when you have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world?"

Some in the audience, and Rachel, did a collective "Aww" in heartfelt response.

"Awesome," Rachel smiled. "Now… This week, we are discussing the shipping between Knuckles and Amy. A powerful treasure hunter and guardian… and the notorious Rose. I'm… honestly not too sure about anything related to this one. I mean, they're both strong, if you really think about it. It could work, I suppose. But that's just me. Poseidon… What do you think? Hopeless? A beautiful wedding just waiting to happen?"

"I'll have to agree with the former," Poseidon sighed. "It really couldn't work out. They've both got tempers that they're not afraid to let loose. It's got me picturing a piko-piko hammer versus spiked fists showdown that could pluck every single tree from the forests of Angel Island. Furthermore, isn't it obvious enough that Amy is after Sonic? Isn't it also evident that Knuckles dislikes Sonic to a certain degree… and I mean _certain_ degree? Amy loves to socialize, but Knuckles isn't a huge fan of it. He's perfectly content with staying on Angel Island and acting as the faithful guardian of the Master Emerald. There is one theory that could debunk this explanation, though."

"Oh?" asked Rachel, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Poseidon continued. "And that is the theory that opposites attract. If that theory were to be true, their differences can support each other to make them both better people. Then, and _only_ then, could Knuckles and Amy work as a couple. Regardless, their tempers could drive them off the edge of Angel Island. That is my case."

"Very interesting," Rachel responded. "I suppose you have a point. What's more like fuel to a fire than a temper to another temper? Although a showdown between those two would almost be a bit… sad in my eyes. For some reason, they seem to get along real well. At least, from what I've seen."

A quick, yet awkward silence.

"Well, thank you, Poseidon, for being on the show!" said Rachel, getting up and reaching out to shake his hand.

"You're very welcome," Poseidon nodded.

"That is all for tonight!" Rachel announced. "…Ooh, next week will be rather interesting! We'll be addressing a popular shipping… by the name of Shadouge! A relentless anti-hero and a sneaky treasure hunter. See you then!"


	6. Episode 5 (Shadow x Rouge)

**Thank you: Both the one known as "random gal" and the one known as "SnowyAngelBro" for their OCs. It's a lot more fun when I have more than one guest! I'll never be able to say this enough, but it's fans like you that make this possible.**

* * *

Some still had the power to ask the question of "How has this been on for so many straight weeks? Has it… actually made it as a regular show?" Others appreciated it and made it part of their evening rituals. A small portion of that group wanted to be there, to see it happen from within the TV screen… or even to be the star onstage.

For another straight week, the hostess of this wonderful show, Rachel, walked onstage.

"Hello, and welcome to 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she beamed.

The audience had a fighting chance to try and cheer, and they took it… before the world was shaken by a roaring blast from outside. Some of the audience screamed in shock. Others just looked back at the light that had flickered out, merely startled. Indeed. The back lights of the studio were knocked out.

"I hope you all made it here safe and sound," Rachel continued. "There… is a bit of a storm going on outside. We've-"

Then, an audience member decided to pipe up. She was an aqua-blue hedgehog with fox ears and hazel eyes.

"Nah," she said. "I think it's just Knuckles and Amy. Poseidon said it was inevitable. You heard him!"

At that, the entire studio was bouncing with laughter.

"Yeah, sure," Rachel laughed. "That'd… be amazing, actually. Either way, this studio's got a basement, so the National Weather Service just needs to give us the word, and we're down there like Eggman to Chaos Emeralds. Because the architects that built this place were actually smart people."

A few people laughed in response.

"I could go on about how I wish more places had basements," she continued. "But I'll go on about Shadouge instead. Well, actually, I'll let tonight's beautiful guests go on about it. Well… Shadouge. The anti-hero and the seductive treasure hunter. I'm not sure, myself. I believe that Rouge would go great with either Shadow or Knuckles. Something about Shadouge, though, just doesn't seem right. That's just me, though. Our first guest is a Thoughts of the Unknown veteran at this point, even though he wasn't able to make it to last week's episode. We love him, though. Please welcome back the one and only Levi Lester!"

The crowd erupted into applause as the well-known Levi walked onstage. He seemed a little less… dare I say, shrunken tonight. He actually strode onstage instead of pacing nervously to his seat.

"And joining him tonight is a new guest!" Rachel beamed. "She's a nurse at a local hospital, and I hear that her patients love how they get care with a smile! Please give a warm welcome… to Elicceen Strider!"

The same said smile that warmed the hearts of patients warmed some of the audience as well. Elicceen was a foxbat who wore a dark green dress and black flats. Her hair was red with black tips, and she had eyes of milk chocolate. She took the seat next to Levi's, seeming eager to begin this fun little show.

Sitting in her own seat, Rachel asked "Now, Elicceen, if I may… You don't have to answer the following question if you don't want to, but it's something I like to ask my guests. Does your heart belong to any of the famous figures of Mobius?"

"Yes, it sure does," Elicceen smiled. "Like Silver is to you… Espio the Chameleon is to me."

Rachel could have sworn that something hit the metal railing along the right edge of the audience's seats.

"Aww," she smiled. "He is cool, isn't he?"

"Cooler than you could ever know," Elicceen sighed dreamily.

"Alright, let's begin with you, then," Rachel said. "Shadouge. Hopeless? Cutest couple in… life?"

"I think that if it weren't for a few obstacles that are in the way, they'd make a fine couple," Elicceen explained. "…See… Rouge is a talented jewel thief who loves to mess with people's heads. You can't doubt that that _outfit_ alone could let her get away with a few things."

Rachel cringed in agreement. What a dirty world Rouge made here seem for a moment.

"Shadow really isn't fond of the idea of getting close to anyone, either," Elicceen continued. "Also… you had a point. She'd look pretty good with Knuckles, too. It really seems like they might have an interest for each other."

"You know…" Rachel said. "…When it all comes down to it, I wonder if Knuckles and Shadow aren't going to become mortal enemies someday, for this _exact_ reason. A Chaos Spear vs. spiked fist showdown."

A random member of the audience said "I can picture it." A lot of the audience nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Levi," said Rachel, turning to look at Levi. "Welcome back. So… Shadouge. Hopeless?"

"I would say so," said Levi. "You do remember how often they work on missions for G.U.N., right? I don't think a relationship would help their work environment in any way. In summary… a relationship really isn't something they should get into."

"Makes sense," said Rachel. "It might be against the rules over there, too."

Quick moment of silence, in which the storm outside decided to grace the building with its rolling thunder.

"Well, that's it for this week!" she continued, standing up. "Thank you so much, Levi and Elicceen, for being here! Remember, you're always welcome back!"

"Thank you for having us!" Elicceen responded. Levi didn't say anything, but actually didn't dash backstage. Perhaps he was warming up a bit… to this.

Rachel opened her mouth to speak again… but that was when a memory shouted to her consciousness and made her blood go cold. She knew it was inevitable. Perhaps only one chapter in a saga of somewhat painful discussions to come. Somehow, though, it had escaped her… but it all came roaring back now. At last…

"Come on, Rachel," her mind told her. "You can do it…"

Rachel suddenly heaved this long sigh that, for some, reeked of depression.

Suddenly, some of the audience was confused. Suddenly, some of those watching from home were on the edge of their seats.

Something was up.

"…Next week…" she said. "…Next week, you'll see a shining example of me grinning and bearing it."

Most of the audience went quiet.

"Opinions are opinions, and it is an offense to disrespect them," she said. "…Even if they are about Silvaze."

Some of the audience started to laugh. The rest went into frenzied chatter.

"Yes, folks," Rachel laughed. "Come one, come all next week to discuss the shipping between the time traveler and the feline princess. I can take it, don't worry about that. I'd love to hear what you think. See you then!"

* * *

 **Author's note: Even if you are an avid supporter of Silvaze, feel free to have your opinion featured! Submission guidelines have not changed, and I am not a wimp!**


	7. Episode 6 (Silver x Blaze)

**Thanks: Holy pancakes… I never would have guessed that I'd ever get this much response. Thank you all so much! This week, we have not one, not two… but FOUR guests on the show. And all to discuss a shipping that probably makes my OC die a little inside. Huge thanks this week goes out to the one known as "random gal", the one known as "Christian Wolf27", JellyfishSoup, and Reens the Hedgehog 2, for their OCs, and more thanks to JellyfishSoup for next week's topic. And if your OC seems out of character, only I can be to blame. I do my absolute best, but nobody's perfect.**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" Rachel, the show's hostess, announced. "Exciting? Possibly. Interesting? Relative. Depressing? Well… Could be." She sighed. "This week, we've broken another record for the show. This week, we have not one, not two, but FOUR guests on the show!"

This was met with rapid applause. Those who had previously been waiting with an iron patience for the show to appear missing finally fell in with those whose belief had survived the entire journey. Unanimously.

"Let's go ahead and welcome returning guests first," said Rachel. "First up, we have our favorite Thoughts of the Unknown veteran… Levi Lester!"

As Levi walked onstage and chose a seat out of the three designated for lovely guests, people knew that the old quick pacing and reluctance had been wiped clean from existence.

"Up next is someone who's featured just once already on the show," Rachel continued. "And we love having her back! Please rewelcome… Lyra Vega!"

Dancing to the rhythm of the crowd's applause, Lyra, quite literally, hopped to her seat. Even Rachel was taken aback by the fact that she seemed almost unhealthily cheery. Hmm… She supposed it was better than cheer's polar opposite.

"Now, let's give a warm welcome to our two Thoughts of the Unknown newcomers!" said Rachel. "Next up, we have… Reens Maricina!"

Welcoming herself to the crowd, Reens made her way to her seat. Seated on top of her dark-blue and braided hair was a pair of goggles. Another adventurer? Some people wondered. She wore a light blue sleeveless shirt and blue shorts, and some could make out the necklace with a golden heart locket that glinted under the spotlight. The feet she walked on donned converse shoes with white stripes and gray soles. Her eyes and fur were light blue, and her skin was pale. But the one thing that seemed to capture the most of the audience's attention was that her right arm was robotic.

"And last, but not least," said Rachel. "…Well… Looks can be deceiving. Our fourth guest for tonight may be both a skunk and a were-panda."

Some in the audience cringed. Some made bets on how soon the studio would be either cleared or floored.

"But I assure you, he has a warm personality, and everything under control," Rachel asserted. "Please give a warm welcome… to Noah Marcus Thompson!"

Said Noah walked onstage and found his seat. He had a smile on his face that tried to earn the trust of those who feared the smelliest. Rachel knew it for a fact, though: Noah was super… like, hyper-mega friendly.

Finding her own seat, Rachel emitted nothing more than a comedic sigh before saying "Well, Lyra… Revenge has finally set in."

"Hey, you only said it yourself," Lyra replied. "I can't wait for you to sit an episode in my shoes."

"It'll be… interesting," Rachel replied, taking another deep sigh to perk up her sadly-flowing blood. "Well, my dear audience, you're looking upon the episode where we discuss Silvaze. Therefore, what should be my emotional downfall. The brave time traveler and the pyro kinetic princess as a couple. Many people see it engraved in the plate of destiny. While I, myself… of _course_ … hope it's not true, hope can't drive a true opinion. Ironically, I see it as remotely possible. They share a great bond, they always seem to tag with each other… and… well… At the very least, those who are just waiting for the wedding to occur have some reasoning to be dedicated."

Now, some of the audience was purely bamboozled. Most of that group felt a great deal of pity for the hostess. She was being so brave…

After heaving another sigh, Rachel said "Reens, let's start with you. Well, first… This is just a question I like to ask my guests, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Noah, I'll be asking you this question as well, so prepare an answer. Reens… Do you have your heart set on anyone?"

"Wouldn't that answer be super obvious if I were to tell you that I have a boyfriend?" Reens replied. "I'm with him, thanks."

"Neat," Rachel nodded. "Now… Silvaze. Hopeless? An age-old prophecy of true love?"

"Well…" Reens explained. "Since the events of Sonic 06 never happened, Blaze really would never have had an adventure with Silver and, theoretically, would not have a romantic relationship. But when you push that out of the question… Personally, the couple seems to balance itself out. As long as Blaze can keep up with how naïve Silver is, and Silver can tolerate Blaze's temperate spirit, they'd do just fine."

"Ah, the theory of opposite attraction," said Rachel. "A fascinating concept."

Deep within a dark recess of her heart, its wall gained a tiny crack.

"Lyra, how about you?" she then said. "Silvaze…"

"Kinda hopeless," Lyra replied. "They've got more of a bro and sis relationship, and they act more like friends than I think they'll ever act like star-crossed lovers."

"Really?" said Rachel. "Well, friendship could always mutate into romance… but I see where you're going with the sibling-like relationship. They look out for each other, for sure."

She cleared her throat.

"Noah, I hope you've come up with an answer," said Rachel. "Because the spotlight officially shines on you, my guest."

Strangely enough, Noah said… nothing. He just sat there, looking at Rachel and awaiting her next move. The move after her next move. The studio went not silent, but awkward.

"Uh… either we need a new Noah," Rachel responded. "Or this is a confidential answer. Perfectly understandable. Can you… at least tell us what you think of Silvaze?"

"The pairing is pretty interesting," Noah nodded.

A short awkward silence rang through the air.

"Great…" Rachel said. "And finally, Levi! Is it hopeless? Is it destiny?"

"It is in the gray area between those two things," Levi answered. "It, uh, COULD work… perhaps, if they were closer. Others don't really know where they presently stand. That probably is unknown to even Silver and Blaze themselves. They currently live in different dimensions and time periods, so there is a likely complication there as well. Don't they seem too busy for romance, too? Blaze has a duty with her dimension, and Silver's concentrated on fixing the future. In summary, Silvaze isn't impossible… but if it somehow does happen, it won't be anytime soon."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. "I see."

She stood.

"Well, that's all for this episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she announced. "Next week, we reference popularity once again as we get opinions on Crails! Or Taiream. However you want to pronounce it. Cream and Tails, the innocent little bunny and the smart young genius! See you then!"

The cameras shut off, and the audience filed out. Somewhere in the distance, Rachel could have sworn she heard someone say "How did she get through that?!" However, everyone was gone before she even considered hearing more about it. Levi and Reens went backstage, but Lyra and Noah watched as Rachel fell into her chair and set her head on her hand.

"This must have been hard for you," said Noah.

"Well…" Rachel replied. "…It actually wasn't that difficult, per se. I really appreciated the insight, actually. Some people think it's possible, and some think it's hopeless. In the end, it's like every other shipping out there. They're not together at the moment… right?" The "Right?" was asked with just a hint of desperation.

"Not that I've heard," Lyra answered. "At the moment, they're nothing more than good pals."

"Out of every girl he's been shipped with," Noah argued. "Blaze is probably the most likely to actually have his heart."

Thanks, Noah. Rachel really needed that.

"Now, I wouldn't say that for sure," said Lyra.

"You know…" came Levi's voice from backstage. "I just thought of an interesting experiment."

Levi emerged from the curtains.

"Each person in the official Sonic cast has a fan base that's likely at least ten times larger than the number of friends that they have from within the cast," he explained. "I just wonder if anything would change… if they were introduced to their fans."

Rachel, Lyra, and Noah were on the edge of their seats.

"Knuckles really isn't with anyone at the moment, technically, right?" said Lyra. "I can't say he wouldn't love me until he's actually met me!"

"With that logic, there's hope for all of us!" Rachel replied. "Great idea, Levi! But there's one problem."

Silence.

"How…" she continued. "…will it even be remotely possible to make that happen?"

And so, everyone packed up that day with a bit of disappointment in their hearts.

* * *

 **Author's reminder: Submission guidelines haven't changed! Feel free!**


	8. Episode 7 (Tails x Cream)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to the one known as "random gal" and Golden S. Tails for their OCs. Remember, the fate of this** **rests on the shoulders of fans like you!**

* * *

It got to the point where pretty much everyone who actually watched television at 8:30 in the evening had Thoughts of the Unknown on their subconscious agenda. Some said that it wasn't nearly as obnoxious as the other array of talk shows out there. No ridiculous giveaways, no sap stories (for the most part), no beauty segment that almost no Mobian could relate to or cared to try out… Just normal people (well, and a hostess who had risen up the first rungs of the ladder of fame) sitting down and having real talk about celebrity love.

As Rachel prepared to walk onstage, the cheers of the crowd invigorated her blood. The curtain she stood behind did nothing to block the radioactive vibes that made her boost in confidence feel like a sudden side effect. So this is what fame felt like, huh? How long would it be, at this rate, until she was up there… with the famous ones? Nah, that'd take two lifetimes. But what about that idea Levi brought up last week? Even if she could just fall asleep and experience that for a few hours… or seconds… it'd be the best night ever.

Once the camera crew gave the signal, she walked onstage, flashing a smile unlike anyone who knew her had expected.

"Hello, all you lovely people, and welcome to this episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she announced. "Hey, has anyone seen the movie 'Pixels'? I saw it yesterday, and unlike everyone else, I thought it was awesome!"

Just one loyal figure from the crowd shouted "Yeah!"

"Yay, someone's on the right track!" Rachel cheered. "Tonight, we address the shipping of two of Mobius's youngest celebrities, but while they might be young and fragile, they've had plenty of experience with their fame by now. You can call it either Taiream or Crails. Crails sounds better, but to each their own. Tails and Cream, the kind young genius and the sweet, innocent bunny. To talk about that tonight, we have two lovely guests. Our first is our favorite Thoughts of the Unknown veteran, Levi!"

The very same Levi Lester walked onstage and took his seat. One difference, though, was that the crowd had taken it upon itself to do something that they wouldn't even do for Rachel. Well, a group of them anyway.

Levi had become so welcome that a group of the audience shouted "Levi! Levi!" a few times.

Rachel supposed that that was her next step.

"Our second guest for tonight is a newcomer," she continued. "But she's a sweet one! Everyone, please give a sunlight-warm welcome… to Daisy the Rabbit!"

With a big smile on her face, said Daisy the Rabbit skipped onstage and to the seat next to Levi. Some must have wondered about her age during the first few seconds of her featuring, but in truth, she was a solid 15 years old. She had short hair that held a beautifully-harvested daisy in it, and a shirt and a skirt that made the word "cute" come to mind.

"Welcome, Daisy," Rachel smiled, taking her seat. "And welcome back, Levi. You seem to have become a bit of an icon here on the show!"

"I suppose I have," Levi replied. "So this is what fame feels like, huh?"

"I guess," Rachel shrugged. "We're not up there with the famous Mobians yet, but… we can dream, right?"

The audience cheered for a few seconds in response to this.

"Now, Daisy, since you are new to this show," said Rachel. "I'm going to ask you a question. Feel free to answer. Feel free to stay quiet. Now, then… Do you have your heart set on any of the famous Mobians?"

"Nah, I already have enough boy problems of my own," Daisy replied. "I have a crush on someone… but I can't say who!"

"That makes sense," Rachel nodded. "A reputation is a terrible thing to waste in the end. Now… Tails and Cream. I personally think that if Cream was slightly older, it would work beautifully! Their souls are young, they're both innocent, they'll both do anything in their power to help save the world, and they're both super sweet! But that's just me. Daisy, let's go to you first. What do you think? Hopeless? As beautiful as a crown of flowers?"

"I don't see them in a relationship, per se, actually" Daisy replied. "I mean, they seem to be good friends. Also, don't you think they're a bit too young to be in a relationship right now?"

"Well, I've got to admit," Rachel replied. "I suppose they would be a bit too young to fully comprehend what true love is. I just learned about it recently myself… b-but that's beside the point! Let's head over to you, Levi!"

"I'd have to agree with Daisy," said Levi. "Neither of them are quite ready for such a relationship. They seem content being friends. That's… really the whole sum of it."

"So…" Rachel said. "The general consensus is that they're really too young at the moment to even consider love?"

Levi and Daisy glanced at each other before nodding "Yep."

"Well, let's take a look at it again in the future," said Rachel, standing up. "Well, that's it for this episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!' Tune in next week, when we discuss… Oh, this'll be neat! Shadamy! The relentless anti-hero and the hyperactive fangirl! See you then!"

The cameras were shut off with a flick of a switch, and the audience filed out.

While shaking Rachel's hand, Daisy beamed "It was great being on the show. Thank you!"

"Thank _you_ , Daisy!" Rachel replied. "You guys keep it up!"

At that, Daisy paced backstage to prepare to head home.

"Levi, that thing… the idea you brought up last week…" Rachel sighed. "It's been on my mind ever since. Thanks."

"No problem," Levi giggled. "But I've got an even more insane idea. It could possibly be our solution to the first… but I've no clue how you or the show's producers could handle it."

"Something the producers can't handle?" said Rachel. "I'm all ears, buddy."

"What if… and hear me out…" said Levi. "…What if we were to get one of the celebrities on the show?"

Suddenly, a random voice from somewhere on stage said "Holy pineapple, that'd be awesome!"

The random voice came from a green hedgehog with a headset pasted to his head. A cameraman.

"I've always wanted to see how _they'd_ react to who people are setting them up with," the cameraman continued. "Whaddaya bet we can get some puke on this stage?"

"Uh… From one point of view, a shipping reaction so severe to cause puke would be amusing," Rachel replied. "But in hindsight, it'd be pretty forking stupid. And for me, terrifying."

"Forget I brought it up," Levi sighed.

* * *

 **Author's note #1: Submission guidelines haven't changed. Feel free!**

 **Author's note #2: …But seriously, I saw Pixels yesterday and had no clue what everyone was talking about. Everyone hates it! I love it! Story of my life…**


	9. Episode 8 (Shadow x Amy)

**Props: The one known as "random gal"… I seriously owe you one. This can't be the only time you've kept this ship afloat.**

* * *

As the audience cheered and Rachel walked onstage… Wow… She never thought she'd actually be here tonight.

The past week had consisted of frenzied phone-lightening, with each check bringing nothing more than worry. Normally, there'd be at least two texts from the show's head producer telling her that the show was definitely on for the coming week, and who was to appear.

That text did not come until the night before this episode. It told her, in bright light, that only the show's respected veteran, good ol' Levi Lester, had reserved a spot.

Well, back to present day…

"Hello, all you lovely people, and welcome to this week's episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she boasted. "This week, we're discussing the fact that people have paired a relentless anti-hero with a hyperactive girl. I am mentioning the shipping of Shadamy."

She sat down in her seat. It dawned on her again that there was so much room onstage.

"I, myself, think that if a very specific set of steps were to occur, it would work beautifully," she said. "Amy would have to, at last, grow weary of chasing after Sonic. Her heart would have to break to the point where she's submerged in a metaphorical aura of darkness. Then, Shadow would have to see that she's sunken to that low. Then, he would have to have a shred of sympathy for her and shed light to eradicate said darkness. Well… That's the only way I see it happening. Besides, that's only me! We've only got one guest this week, but he's our favorite veteran! He may as well be a member of our family by now… Please give a warm welcome to Levi Lester!"

Levi simply emerged from the curtains and walked to his seat, doing not much more than soaking in the positive vibes from the crowd. He did, though, have a smile on his face.

"Glad to have you here, buddy," Rachel beamed with every ounce of truth she could muster. "So… Shadow and Amy? Could they possibly find spots for each other in their dedicated hearts?"

"No," said Levi. "…Don't really see it. I don't get the impression that they're looking for true love between them. Besides, it seems highly improbable that Amy will be falling out of love with Sonic any time soon. And Shadow? Does anyone ever think of the word 'love' when looking at him? He is out for anything BUT love, I think."

"Yeah, they don't seem to be destined personality-wise," Rachel nodded. "You never know, though. A police officer could fall for a serial killer if the stars are aligned just right."

She stood and sighed. Hmm… This _was_ disappointingly short.

"Well, that's it for this week's episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she stated. "Please, do feel free to join us next week when we discuss… Oh, this oughta bring out the critic in people… Sonally! Sonic and Sally, a pair that have been publicly shown to share affection… I guess. I'll see you all next week!"

The deepest hope she had in her heart, aside from meeting the telekinetic hero she adored, was that next week's convo would be more than a one-on-one.

*Later*

At this point, the stars were dancing about in the sky, and the moon was their candlelight. Rachel and Levi had already gone home.

He, the one who remained behind, had his phone ready to let Rachel know at the flick of a finger if the show had any hope. He, the one who remained behind, also had his electrified eyes pasted to a laptop's luminescent monitor.

He, the one who remained behind, was Thoughts of the Unknown's head producer… Elektor the Hedgehog. If anyone were to peek in through the door, they'd barely be able to see him. His gravel-colored fur blended in with the darkness like a leaf to freshly-dewed grass. The power he held in his hands electrified his eyes to a bright yellow, and did the same to the wrists of his otherwise completely white gloves, and the ankles of his otherwise completely black boots.

However, on this night, he'd set against his ear a sign that there was a future.

It all started when two chimes rang rhythmically from the desk phone that lurked in the corner of its respective desk.

Raising an eyebrow, Elektor reached his hand over to the phone, picked it up, and answered "This is the studio where Thoughts of the Unknown is filmed. How can I assist you?"

A robotic voice answered from the other side.

"Would this be the show's head producer?" it said. "Is Rachel there?"

"No, she's not," Elektor asserted. "What do you need?"

"Excuse me for not introducing myself," the voice said. "I am Orbot, a robot who works as one of two personal servants for Dr. Eggman himself."

Even though the voice had instantly brought up that name from Elektor's directory of known people, he was still chilled with shock.

"Dr. Eggman himself had me call," Orbot explained. "He wants the hostess to know that he… very much enjoys her little show. He watches it every day… with snacks and a blanket and everything… It's quite pitiful, if you ask either me or Cubot."

"I'll… be sure to tell her that…" Elektor promised, secretly planning for the day when battle would break out.

"But before you go…" Orbot continued. "There's something that I, myself, have been wondering."

"What… would that be?" asked Elektor. If you couldn't tell, he absolutely could not believe what his eardrum was processing.

"What if… there was a Truth or Dare segment with some of the famous Mobians, along with me, Cubot, and Dr. Eggman?" said Orbot. "An episode where fans can send in Truths and Dares and all of that fun stuff?" He laughed excitedly.

Suddenly, Elektor's ethics dawned on him. This was _Eggman_ he was trying to get on the show! But then again… Maybe, Rachel could whip out that amazing writer's dialect of hers and get the answer out of him. The answer… to why he wants so much destruction and dominance over this beautiful world.

"Uh…" Elektor answered. "…Can you hold for a few minutes? I think this phone has a button that'll give you some hold music."

"Ooh, hold music!" Orbot squealed. "Yes, I can hold."

So Elektor tapped the "Hold" button and was attacked with another reality check. One of the celebrities of Mobius wanted to be on the show! Holy Slicers, that was something he thought was bound never to happen! But… _Eggman_ …

He picked up his cell phone while setting down the desk phone.

"I sincerely hope you're not planning on sleeping tonight…" he sighed before finding Rachel in his contacts and tapping the icon to call her.

A minute or so later, "Hey!" came from the other side. "So… Do we have a guest?" She seemed rather pumped.

"Well… no," Elektor answered. "But we _DO_ have recognition! Just… Hear me out, okay?"

* * *

 **Author's note: Submission guidelines have not changed. Feel free!**

 **More props: Thank you to the one known as "Christian Wolf27" for the idea to suggest the thing in this week's Question for the Reader.**

 **Question for the reader: A Truth or Dare segment with some of the Sonic characters… Huh? Huh?! Whaddaya think? Yea or disaster?**


	10. Episode 9 (Sonic x Sally)

**Author's apology: I acknowledge that most of you seem to think that a Truth or Dare segment would be an awesome idea. However, something was pointed out to me, and it made me decide to leave the idea, in its raw form, alone. I apologize to anyone this may bring disappointment to. However, I have another idea that could work just as well! Stay tuned!**

 **Props: Anyway, now that that solemn doody is out of the way… Thanks, this week, goes out to SorryLads, Oceanic Coral, Golden S. Tails, and the one known as "random gal" for their OCs. We have four guests again! Sweet! Thank you all so much!**

* * *

*Continuation of the previous week*

Elektor took a four-minute chunk out of his night to explain everything that Orbot had said to him… in this pitifully fangirl-like voice.

"Elektor, listen…" Rachel sighed from the other side. "I absolutely love the idea-"

"So you'll do it?" Elektor asked, hyped up on the caffeine that is adrenaline.

"…No," said Rachel.

Elektor's heart dropped.

"See…" Rachel continued. "There's already a show that does that."

"Yeah… I suppose," Elektor sighed. "I see. You don't want to steal their thunder."

"But…" Rachel said.

"But?" Elektor repeated.

"We could still bring the celebrities on the show, alright?" said Rachel. "To ask them for the raw information. We can ask _them_ about the shippings they're shoved into. We could do that… and then, a general Q and A, where fans can ask them the questions! And then… We could let fans meet the celebrities! It'll be a three-tier night of fun! So… There's my pitch. What do you think?"

"I…" Elektor replied. "…think that that's AWESOME! We'd be making so many people's dreams come true!"

"Then it's settled," said Rachel. "Your homework for tonight-"

"But we're not even in school yet, you killjoy!" Elektor whined. "We've still got under a month of summer left!"

"…Elektor…" Rachel sighed. "Ask the fans about it on any social media that we currently have a reputation on."

"By that," Elektor replied. "You mean Fan-"

"NOT THE FOURTH WALL!" Rachel panicked. "Haven't you heard the legends?!"

"Yeah…" sighed Elektor. "…Right away…"

*Present week*

"Hello, all you lovely faces, and welcome to 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" Rachel beamed as the cameras flicked their lenses open. "Tonight, we're addressing Sonally. Sonic and Sally, the Freedom Fighter and the princess! From what I've seen, they've… actually been an item at at least one point in time, I'm pretty sure. That makes it rather promising. I haven't seen much of Sally, so… I really can't say. Who can say, though, are our awesome guests! Tonight, we've got three returners and one newcomer. Let's get our returning guests out here first. First up is a smile-conjuring teacher who's appeared once before on the show. Please welcome… Poseidon!"

The very same Poseidon from awhile before happily strode to his seat.

"Up next, we've got an absolute flower of a rabbit who's appeared once before on the show as well," Rachel continued. "Please welcome… Daisy!"

The very same Daisy skipped to her seat, absolutely overjoyed to be here.

"Thirdly," said Rachel. "We have our longest-running Thoughts of the Unknown veteran, who's appeared… in every episode but one. Please welcome… Levi Lester!"

The very same Levi Lester walked to his seat, feeling as if this place could be a home.

"And then, there's our newcomer," said Rachel. "She's a sly one, always keeping her head on straight and knowing what to do in a situation. Please give a warm welcome… to Mercury the Hedgehog!"

Said Mercury paced to her seat. The color of her fur was a shaded pink, and her quills ended with sharp mahogany tips. Mahogany eye shadow rested above eyes of military green, and spiked mahogany markings rested below them. She donned a one-strap shirt of black, mahogany, and green, along with a short jean skirt and dark brown boots. Matching wrist bracelets and ankle bracelets gleamed the spotlight back at the audience. Fingerless black gloves rested on her hands… and pretty much all of this was either ripped or torn in some places.

"Welcome, all of you," Rachel smiled as she took her own seat. "Mercury, there is a question I'd like to ask you. Anyone who's ever been a newcomer here knows that it's something I like to ask."

Levi, Daisy, and Poseidon all nodded.

"Very well," said Mercury.

"So…" said Rachel. "Do you have your heart set on any of the famous ones of Mobius?"

"Fur of ebony…" Mercury muttered to herself.

Despite not being able to decipher the mutters, Rachel raised an eyebrow and displayed a smug smirk.

"…N-No!" Mercury snapped. "There's absolutely nobody… N-No one!"

"Very well," Rachel said with a chuckle. "Now, then… Sonic and Sally. Mercury, let's go to you first. Will them together be as beautiful as freshly watered flowers or fly-infested roadkill?"

"That's… an interesting way of putting it," said Mercury. "Well, it obviously works, as they both have great leadership skills, are very selfless, and would basically go by any means to make sure freedom and justice ring around here. The only problem that I see is the fact that Sally's a princess and just doesn't keep up with the blue blur. With Sally's royal-ish nature and Sonic's carefree attitude, it doesn't look to be something that'd work. Face it: Sonic ain't got time to be with princesses. He needs someone who can keep up with how fast he goes… not to mention his love of adventure. Besides, a princess will eventually become a king and when that happens, they're stuck in a castle keeping rule over their kingdom. Would the fastest living thing alive really enjoy that? He's so impatient that he can't stay in one place for long. He wants to keep moving and exploring! Here's another question, too: Does Sonic really want to be in a relationship?"

A random soul from the audience shouted "It appears so."

"Hear me out, buddy!" Mercury snapped.

Everyone in the audience made it a goal to keep quiet.

"Anyway," she continued. "Sonic loves to make friends. Wouldn't a relationship slow him down tremendously? So yeah… They're great friends and teammates, but looking at it Mobian-wise, the royal status soils Sonally. Nuff said."

Nuff said indeed.

"Too busy for love," Rachel sighed. "For some… it's very true. Alright, Poseidon, let's hear you out next."

"I think that it could work," Poseidon replied. "Sally gives Sonic space, unlike…"

He coughed once. He then muttered the name of a certain hyperactive fangirl. He then coughed two more times.

"Most people think that Sally's the bad person," he went on. "But that's just a twisted perception crafted by those who back Sonamy."

"Twisted perception… interesting," said Rachel. "Daisy, how about you?"

"As far as what I've seen between them, it has its ups and downs," said Daisy. "Their roles are why it could work. Their duties are why it could not work. Sally rules the kingdom, and Sonic doesn't want to be tied down to a relationship. A medium ground would save it. I, though, don't have much hope for it. That's just me, of course."

"I see a pattern here," Rachel nodded. "And Levi. Let's take a look at what you think."

"Wait…" said Levi. "Aren't they already an item?"

A soul or two from the audience chuckled.

"I can't remember where they presently stand," Levi admitted. "I haven't heard much at all in a while. Well, if so, one could relate its working to a well-oiled machine. There are a few bumps here and there, but what solid relationship doesn't see that?"

"Right," Rachel nodded. "You don't see light if there's no darkness for it to brighten."

She stood.

"Well, that's it for this episode!" she announced. "Join us next time… when we discuss one of the most hilarious shippings I've personally ever seen: Sonadow! The carefree wind and the relentless anti-hero. See you then!"

* * *

 **Question for the reader: Don't consider it an idea shot down… but an idea changed. How would you all feel if we had the celebrities of Mobius give their opinions on the shippings they're shoved into, answer fan questions, or/and meet fans? Should it all happen? Should only some of it happen? Should none of it happen?**


	11. Episode 10 (Sonic x Shadow)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. Fans like you keep this boat afloat!**

* * *

Five minutes to showtime, said the lonely clock on the wall… and Rachel was already poised behind the curtain, almost feeling entirely silly. Sonic and Shadow as _friends_ , let alone a _COUPLE?!_ The theory of "opposites attract…" She'd have to see this to believe it.

She looked to the backstage area to see that Elektor was jogging over to her. He hadn't been like that since this had all started, what with the questions about lighting and everything…

"Hey," he said, stopping. "That idea we came up with…"

" _I_ came up with," Rachel corrected. "What about it?"

"Everyone loves it," Elektor smiled. "It's a go!"

"A-Awesome!" said Rachel. "Wait… All three of the events?"

"Seems like it," Elektor nodded.

"Sweet!" Rachel cheered.

Elektor glanced at the clock.

"I'll get out of your hair now," he said, walking away. "Good luck!"

"Thank you… I suppose!" Rachel laughed. After ten episodes, she was pretty sure she had all the luck she could get. How could it get much better than knowing that she could get the celebrities of the world on the show? The fun! The exposure! The possibility of being noticed by that certain someone… Well, possibly…

The audience began to cheer, and she knew that it was time to get this show started.

"Hello, all of you peeps, and welcome to the tenth episode of 'Thoughts of the Unknown!'" she beamed. "I feel as if it's been longer that I've been with you all. You're… like a clan of some sort."

She pretended to wipe a worked-up tear from her eye.

"Okay, so this week…" she snickered. "We're discussing Sonadow. The carefree and the relentless…"

She couldn't hold back a couple of chuckles.

"If you can't tell already, I think it's pretty funny," she continued. "I'm someone who thinks that just about anything is possible, so I won't say this can't work, but… if you're looking at a pie, the chance of it working is thinner than the knife you'll be using to cut said pie. Shadow, as far as I know, really doesn't want anything to do with Sonic, and if that doesn't kill the mood, what would? This week, I've got two returning guests who've got their own opinions on this. The first is the one who's only ever missed one episode of the show… Levi Lester!"

The same Levi walked onstage and to his seat.

"And with him comes a guest that made her debut on the show last week," said Rachel. "Please welcome… Mercury the Hedgehog!"

The same Mercury made it a point to get to her seat.

"Sonic and Shadow may be strict rivals, but they've had to bond together before, even if only for a day," said Rachel, sitting in her seat. "Mercury, let's go to you first. What are your thoughts?"

"It wouldn't work," Mercury explained. "It's not that they're both male. I-It's that their personalities are like fire and ice. They clash. For instance, Sonic is a super optimistic, outgoing free spirit. On the other hand, Shadow is calm, soft-spoken, and relatively serious. Shadow's never considered Sonic anything more than an ally, and even that isn't pleasant. How they'd ever fall in love is beyond me. This couple was _never_ meant to be."

"Never?" said Rachel.

"You heard me," said Mercury.

"I heard you," said Rachel. "Alright, Levi. What do you have to say about it?"

"It doesn't seem right," Levi explained. "It's not only because of their sexual orientations, but you know they don't get along as is. Even if the theory of "opposites attract" is true, it is not guaranteed to take effect, this being a prime example. Their personalities contrast so much that tolerating each other might just be close to impossible for them. How could they take a RIVALRY up to a romantic bond if they haven't taken the first step toward a decent aquaintanceship?"

He shrugged.

"I simply don't see it," he concluded.

"I see we have a general consensus here," said Rachel, standing. "All who declare Sonadow as highly unlikely, maybe even impossible, say 'I'."

"I" rang throughout the studio and could possibly be heard from the other side of the forest that it was near.

"It's certainly hilarious, though," she continued. "Wasn't there a Sonic Short about that? Are there going to be any more of those? Oh, sorry… Before I announce next week's topic, I've got a delightful announcement."

A pleased Elektor smiled to himself from the back room.

"We at 'Thoughts of the Unknown' are working on a very special episode!" Rachel explained. "One where we get some of the celebrities on the show!"

The crowd burst into cheer so suddenly that it almost seized her heart. It took two minutes to calm them down.

"Yeah, it really is the most exciting thing known to Mobian," she laughed. "We're planning on it being near the middle of September. Most importantly, we need input from you guys. But we have several questions, and we want to space it out over a few weeks so that you have time to think about each one. Head to our... uh… 'social media' page to find out the question to be answered for each week!"

An awkward silence.

"So… next week's topic!" she continued. "We discuss another Yaoi shipping… but one that I think makes just a bit more sense. Sonic and Tails, the wind and the mind. Sonails, if you may. Thank you all so much for watching, and special thanks to our guests! See you next week!"

* * *

 **Question for the reader: For continuity reasons, it is guaranteed that Dr. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot will be featured in the upcoming special episode. My question for you this week is… Who else would you like to see?**


	12. Episode 11 (Sonic x Tails)

**Reason for late update: The one-week hiatus was because I didn't have any response in time. The extra day was because I didn't get home from something until very close to midnight yesterday, and I didn't feel well.**

 **Props: Anyway, you have the one known as "random gal" to thank this week, for both the OC and the response to last time's Question for the Reader. This person has kept this beautiful boat floating so many times, and I cannot thank her enough.**

* * *

The world could be beautifully summarized in a collective gasp when "Warriors of the Abandoned Shelf" ended up telling its story in the time slot where Thoughts of the Unknown should have been. No longer could anyone ever deem it as "predictable."

Over at the studio, Rachel had burst through the door to the studio, setting her bag down and trying to get her breath back. It was all one big moment of panic. See, she had seen the waning light of the sky outside and thought that she was way late for the show.

Turns out… the show would start in 15 minutes.

As soon as her lungs could function properly, she could comprehend the sudden thumping that was growing louder and louder.

And sooner than she could try to find the source, another being was holding her in a heartfelt embrace.

"Can you believe it?" this being laughed with utter joy. "The show's back in business!" The being was a road-gray hedgehog, known as Elektor. Rachel would have been surprised if all of this hadn't made him go through every emotion thinkable.

"I know, and I'm excited, too!" Rachel replied, giving him a quick hug back before separating from him… which could also be seen as her giving him a light push so that he'd let go.

Thirteen minutes to showtime.

"Er… Before the show begins, though, I've got some good news and some bad news," said Elektor. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Bad news," Rachel only took a millisecond to nod.

"Alright…" Elektor sighed. "...Our tech people have been working hard on fixing this for an hour now, but… the sound system refuses to work. The theme song is a no-go."

"Aww…" Rachel responded. That song had always invigorated the atmosphere and made every episode an adventure.

"But I think the good news will cheer you right up!" Elektor continued. "The hiatus gave me some extra time to put together the guest list for the special episode. By the way, I feel like there should be a code name for that episode…"

"How about Episode Party?" Rachel suggested. "This seems like something that could safely accompany some drinks and disco lights."

"I like that thinking!" said Elektor. "Anyway, I heeded the words of a loyal fan that responded on our… 'social media' page and got into contact with all of the celebrities she suggested."

He could _do_ that?!

"So?" Rachel asked. "Who can come?"

"I was able to get into contact with Sonic, Tails, Silver, Shadow, Rouge, Vector, and Amy," Elektor explained. "Shadow just hung up on me, and Rouge said she still has to think it over. Everyone else agreed that they'd love to be on the show! And Orbot, Cubot, and Dr. Eggman will be here as well because… they were the ones who insisted it."

"Sonic, Tails…" Rachel recited. "…Even Silver?!"

"…Even Silver…" Elektor sighed. "And Vector and Amy! And Eggman..."

"Sweet!" Rachel squealed. "Oh, thank you so much for doing this, Elektor!"

"Don't mention it," Elektor smiled. "Only the best for you… a-and this show!"

At that, Rachel skipped off to go place the chairs on the stage.

"Silver…" Elektor sighed. "…I don't get it." He then paced back to his office.

And at 8:30 sharp, Rachel was walking onstage with only the clicks of her own feet and the audience's waning applause and waxing confusion to listen to.

"Hello, all of you lovely beings, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" she announced. "I apologize for the lack of music this week. It's like the 'working correctly' charm went on strike or something for our sound system. What more do we need, though, than a riveting topic and the hype in the air?"

The crowd roared with applause.

"Great!" she smiled. "This week, we're addressing the shipping of brilliant feet and a brilliant mind. Sonails, in other words. I, myself, both do and don't see the point of it. They're like brothers, are they not? They both respect each other even though their skills aren't precisely eye to eye. We only have one guest for today with his opinion, but he's our favorite Thoughts of the Unknown resident, Levi Lester!"

The very same Levi that many had come to know and love emerged from backstage and walked to his seat, responding to the crowd's applause with a kind wave.

"So, Levi," said Rachel, sitting in her seat. "What do you think?"

"It's pretty much been established that no matter how you see it, those two are brothers," Levi explained. "Although they aren't related by blood, their unshakable bond makes it so that they might as well be. Simply, adding romance to the mix would poison all of this. It'd simply be ruined."

"I see," Rachel nodded. "It's like a lot of friendships out there. Too entirely prone to what I like to call 'ship pollution.'"

A few in the audience, and Levi, were intrigued by this new term.

"I suppose… that's all for this week's episode," she sighed, standing up and facing the center camera. "But before I announce next week's topic, we need to address the special episode that's coming up, which we have decided to give the codename 'Episode Party.' We-"

She was interrupted by the sudden wave of excitement that barrel-rolled out from everyone.

"Yes, yes," Rachel responded, getting everyone to calm down. "We have a _mostly_ established guest list for that night. Well, celebrity-wise. Check our social media page for that and our questions for you guys!"

The crowd proceeded to cheer again.

"As for next week's topic," she announced. "We'll be discussing what is personally one of my favorite shippings… Sonaze! The carefree wind and the flaming princess! We will see you then!"

* * *

 **Question for the reader #1: We, for the most part, have the guest list, which consists of Sonic, Tails, Silver, Vector, Dr. Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, and Amy… for sure, and Rouge potentially. So the special episode is going to have a Q and A for these people. Now is the time for you to submit any questions you may have.**

 **Question for the reader #2: Should Rouge appear on the show?**

 **Question for the one known as "random gal" SPECIFICALLY: You don't seem to have an account, so this is how I must reach you. You mentioned Silver appearing, but "not until later." Can I learn what you mean by that? I really cannot thank you enough for your time.**


	13. Episode 12 (Sonic x Blaze)

**Props: Thank yous this week go out to ReenstheHedgehog2, Oceanic Coral, and the one known as "random gal" for their OCs, shipping opinions, and other opinions! As was clearly demonstrated twice before, fans like you keep this dream alive!**

* * *

The cameras flipped their lenses open as if on an automated cue. Everyone knew the drill and absorbed joy like nectar from taking part in it.

"Hello, all you living, breathing creatures out there, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" the show's hostess, Rachel, beamed. "This week, we're addressing one of the few shippings that's actually on my list of OTP-to-be's. Sonaze, the belief that the guardian of the Sol Emeralds should end up marrying the blue blur someday…. L-Look, I know what you're thinking, but I swear, that's not the only reason! They've worked together in the past, and wasn't it Sonic who gave Blaze her first bit of understanding of friendship? You ever just look at a pair of people and… them at a wedding just comes to mind? It clicks, like a seatbelt, without you catching it. That's my case. We have three guests tonight who would love to share their takes on Sonaze, and they are all returners to the show. Up first, let's go ahead and bring out Reens Maricina!"

The very same Reens from a time before emerged from the curtains, but made a quick dash to her seat.

"Up second," said Rachel. "We have Mercury the Hedgehog!"

Said Mercury gave a wave as she went to her seat. When she sat, she gave a nod to the anxious audience as if to say "'Sup?"

"Up last, we've got our longest-running Thoughts of the Unknown veteran," Rachel smiled. "…Levi Lester!"

The crowd burst into applause as said Levi showed up and walked to his seat. The cheers of "Levi! Levi!" could have been remixed to form a beautiful symphony… I suppose.

"It is wonderful to see you all back," said Rachel as she sat down in her seat. "…Forgive me if I'm not up to par in any way. School began on Tuesday, and… urgh. But enough about me. What about those two? The wind and the flame?"

"YES," Mercury blurted, beginning her segment. "To be honest, out of every pairing that's ever arisen among the celebrities, this is my favorite… Well, if I had to choose. They can both run at super-fast speeds, they both have a stinkin' Super form, keeping their worlds safe from harm is a big thing in their hearts, and… well, when you look at their first adventure, it sums it all up. After it, when Blaze was flying toward her dimension, Sonic was the ONLY thing on her mind. She smiled at his image and said "I'll see you again." If that doesn't say something, what stinkin' does, huh?! I often picture Sonic being into girls who can keep up with him and give him competition, and this definitely fits into that slot!"

An awkward moment of silence went by as Rachel confirmed that Mercury was finished with her defense.

"So we have definitive evidence, then?" Rachel agreed. "Reens, how about you? What are your thoughts?"

"…Erm…" Reens responded. "This pairing is actually a bit weird for me."

Mercury took a split second to look at Reens suspiciously.

"They really only seem to be in a working relationship," she continued. "Yeah, of course, there's the stories, and the hints that lie within some of the games… but I don't see how a romance like this could work. Different sources tell me that Blaze is actually Sonic's Sol counterpart, so if Sonaze were a thing, Sonic… would kinda be dating himself, in a way. Blaze, too, is mostly about order, and let's face it, this would slow Sonic down significantly. So… I like what you said before, Rachel. You know, the fire and the wind? You were right; it's the wind blowing the flame on this candle out."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "Interesting. So they could either conflict or fit. Levi, which do you think it is?"

"I'm not really aware about what they've done," Levi admitted. "I mean, I know they've worked together to save dimensions, which is quite impressive, by the way. They seem to be able to get along… but there's also the fact that they are from different dimensions. It would definitely spawn a long-distance relationship… one that I think their respective duties would rip to shreds. I'm not saying something couldn't spark. It's just that I believe it'd wear away over time if it did. Kinda like the wax and wick on a candle."

"Hm," Rachel responded. "…So I'm getting that the real question is whether a relationship would survive. That's what I think both you and Reens are saying, and the general consensus is that there would definitely be some roadblocks along the road, correct?"

Both Reens and Levi nodded.

"However," Rachel emphasized. "What about the initial feelings? You can't even begin to think about a romantic relationship if you don't long for one. What I think Mercury is saying is that they've definitely fallen for each other. At the very least, Blaze's heart is dedicated to Sonic."

"That is what I'm saying, and it's _true_ ," Mercury confirmed.

"I think so as well," Rachel nodded. "So… combine all of these opinions, and… oh, I see rocky mountains ahead for these two."

A quick murmur of either agreement or skepticism washed out from the audience.

"Well, that's it for this week's episode!" said Rachel. "Tune in next week when we discuss… oh, this one's just darn cute! Tailsmo, a.k.a. Tails and Cosmo! The young mind and the young soul! Oh, and for anyone who answered last week's question on our 'social media' page, we're able to ask every one of your questions, so don't worry about that. Only a couple more questions, and we'll have this special episode and have a ball without a hitch! So remember: Next week… Tailsmo! See ya then!"

Rachel looked to the curtains hiding the backstage area by chance, to see that Elektor was motioning for her to go over there.

As she was walking over there, Mercury, who was joining everyone else in packing up and exchanging "See you later"s, said "See ya, Egghead!" Rachel giggled a bit and went backstage.

"Alright, so I've got good news," Elektor told her. "…Ready?"

"…Sure," Rachel said, a skeptic.

"Rouge called back today," said Elektor. "And she said she's able to be on the show!"

"Ooh, sweet!" Rachel reacted. "Thanks for letting me know!"

* * *

 **Author's note: Indeed. Rouge has been added to Episode Party's guest list for** _ **sure**_ **!**

 **Questions for the reader #1 and #2: This should be a fun question. So, the final segment of Episode Party is when we let fans meet the celebrities. So tell me: Who are the OCs that will be attending Episode Party, and who would they like to meet?**

 **Question for the reader #3: This one's really just because I'm curious. Who is your OTP (Sonic or elsewhere)?**


	14. Episode 13 (Tails x Cosmo)

Most of the show's viewers saw it as a thing that either would happen or wouldn't. It tried its best to squeeze onto the air, and it always succeeded whenever it tried.

Little did they know, until the show started, that their week off this time was for a completely different reason.

Rachel, the show's hostess, stood behind the curtain, taking ahold of one of its folds as if saying "It's okay. I'm here now."

Suddenly, "Hey, Rachel," came from beside her. She looked to find the blessed show's head producer, Elektor.

"Hi there!" Rachel waved.

"Feeling better?" Elektor asked. "You sounded absolutely, wretchedly miserable when we spoke on the phone last week."

"Better? Definitely," Rachel nodded, a slight clogginess still evident in her voice.

"Great," Elektor smiled. "…We've got the guest list for Episode Party, which is taking place… next week, correct?"

"Next week is the plan," Rachel replied. "Unless something like _that_ rears its ugly head again."

"Our guest list… is only comprised of two people," Elektor sighed. "And they're also today's guests. Levi Lester and Mercury the Hedgehog."

"Ah, alright," Rachel nodded. "They're fun. I just feel bad for the poor suckers who…"

Her eyes just so happened to be on the clock on the wall. Which read 8:30pm on the dot.

"Shoot, I gotta get out there!" she panicked, quickly stepping out from behind the curtain. Even quicker, Elektor was dashing to his space in front of all the cameras.

The cameras flipped on. They were noticeably dusty.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed. "Very first of all, I must explain some things. I realize, despite the fact that we very much had guests prepared, that the show took a mysterious hiatus last week. You have the force known as disease to blame for that; all I had to do was go to a couple of schools for a few days, and I was down in bed feeling like a bag of crushed Eggmans."

Much of the audience nodded in sympathy.

"I didn't know a cold could have such power…" she continued. "Well, I've got all my HP back, and I'm ready to get my head back in the game! Thank you very much, to you and our guests for today, for having patience and allowing me to recover in peace. Today, we're discussing a shipping that's… pretty much canon, isn't it? We're talking about Tailsmo, the brilliant young mind and the beautiful young plant girl. Well… I personally support it, because it's _uncannily_ obvious. I saw how they look into each other's eyes; I saw how having to lose her tore Tails, in his entirety, to _shreds_. He was never the same. Here with me today are two guests, both Thoughts of the Unknown alumni. First, welcome our longest-appearing guest, Levi Lester!"

The usual hype burst out from the crowd as Levi walked onstage. Hearty, with… a broad smile on his face and a confident wave on his arm.

"Now, give a warm welcome to our second guest… Mercury!"

The applause was greater, but there were no outstanding cheers _quite_ yet. Mercury quickly paced to her seat.

"Welcome, you guys," Rachel smiled, sitting in her own seat. "And thank you _so_ much for being patient with me."

"Hey, germs suck," Mercury shrugged.

"Your health is not something to be put on the line for the entertainment of others," Levi nodded.

"Thank you," Rachel replied, a slight blush brimming on her cheeks. "Now… Tailsmo. Thoughts? Levi… is it a train wreck or the Polar Express?"

"…Cosmo's sadly no longer around, correct?" Levi responded. "They, um, loved each other. It worked out (until it didn't quite work out). The end was absolutely tragic."

A quick silence.

"I've not any more to say," Levi shrugged.

"Very well," Rachel nodded. "Sounds like thoughts that'd come out of something canon. Which it was. Mercury, your thoughts?"

"I, uh… really don't care much about this couple," Mercury explained. "I mean, what exactly did they see in each other? They just… saw things. They fell in love. No warning. No build up. Love at first sight… kinda like it. And, I mean, of we want to get technical… Tails would be dating a plant. It's… kinda a gray area for me. Don't love it. Don't hate it. That's just me, though."

"…So Tailsmo is just… this thing that's happening," Rachel summarized. "Is this what we're saying?"

Levi and Mercury glared at each other before looking back at Rachel and nodding "Yep."

"I see…" said Rachel.

She stood.

"Well, that's it for this week's episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" she announced. "And I'm extremely hyped up to announce that if everything goes properly… Codename Episode Party will be turning up here at the studio next week!"

The stands erupted with applause.

"WOO!" Rachel joined in. "We'll have Sonic, Tails, Silver, Vector, Dr. Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, Amy, and Rouge hanging out here with us. We'll ask them questions, we'll get their take on the shippings they're shoved into, and we'll allow two lucky, and predetermined, guests to ask them questions and meet them! Oh, and Levi? Mercury?"

She turned around to face them. They looked back up at her curiously.

"You are those two guests!" Rachel giggled.

Mercury giggled to herself in sheer excitement. Levi merely smiled a bit.

Rachel turned back to the camera and continued "Those who are somehow not a fan of all of this, though… Think of it as an extra week to think about the next shipping we'll address as commoners. That shipping will be… Oh, dear God… How would you pronounce it? Scourgona?"

Most of the audience caught on. A few grunted in sheer disgust. A couple laughed.

"Scourge and Fiona, everyone," Rachel sighed. "Well… See ya next week, when we turn up for the most sleepover-like episode of anything anyone's ever done. Hey, why don't we have everyone wear pajamas? That's… technically always okay, but it's encouraged for Episode Party, got it?"

* * *

 **Request for the reader: I've got a poll up on my profile! I suppose you** _ **could**_ **answer the question through a review or PM if you really wanted to, though… Should I open up a Twitter account to keep you guys updated on when I'll be sick, or interesting things that are going on in my life?**


	15. Episode 14 (Episode Party!)

**Reason for week hiatus: This one was merely because of how busy school made me. It was night after night of not being home until my brain just went… off. I feel really bad. I hope you guys know that you're the best fans a girl like me could ever ask for! And now… I present to you… Episode Party!**

 **Props: Oh, and thanks to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for their OCs. Thanks to these two plus the one known as "Christian Wolf27" for their questions. Thank you** _ **all**_ **for sticking with me.**

* * *

Rachel walked into the studio at least three hours early that day. Eagerness had made time an impossible thing to endure.

She walked in to find the notorious Dr. Eggman and his two robotic compadres seated in the backstage area's lounging corner. The one completed with the urban-looking couches and footrests.

The sudden strike of fear struck her, so she tried to completely ignore them as she went to where the stage chairs were stored. Fortunately, it worked, as not a word came from any of them the entire time that she carried the chairs out to the stage and positioned them. Oh, how she wished she had the strength to pile them up and make just one trip, though…

Just a half hour later, as she was just walking away from a person in charge of the stage lights, she saw Elektor walking toward her.

"Hey," she sighed.

"Hi there," Elektor replied. "Good to finally have this episode rolling, huh?"

"You can say that a million times, and it won't lose an ounce of honesty," Rachel agreed.

She still remembered the call that Elektor had given her the week before… literally _moments_ before she was getting ready to brush her hair.

"Too many of the celebrities have crap going on," he had told her. "I guess Eggman Nega was causing chaos over by where Silver lives… Amy had a doctor's appointment… the Chaotix Detective Agency, including Vector, was called out on a sudden mission…"

"Gotcha," Rachel had replied with an annoyed sigh. "See ya next week."

And thus, next week arrived.

In just another couple of hours, excitement was running high throughout the studio. All of the guests had arrived and were now congregating backstage, mentally preparing themselves for what would go down. Both Elektor and Rachel had hushed the crowd a bit earlier and had given them a quick run-down of what would be going on tonight. Fortunately, everyone seemed excited!

Everyone… even Eggman… Was that good?

Just fifteen minutes before this party was scheduled to start, Rachel was peeking out from the curtain to watch as more and more of the eager audience filed in. She wondered if there'd be enough space for her, and also marveled at the fact that some of them were seriously decked out in modest nightwear. Pastel nightgowns, sheepy pajamas… They blended in surprisingly well.

Suddenly, however, her consciousness got this strange sensation. She looked over at the crowd of guests to find that… no, nobody was looking at her. Right?

And before she knew it… it was time to get this show on the road. As she walked onstage, she could barely hear herself think… Something that had never happened before.

Shakes were rampant in her.

"Hello, everyone… and welcome to an extremely special episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" she finally was able to announce. "We've got a lovely batch of guests for you tonight! Straight out of the oven!"

The audience rolled with laughter.

"Nah, I kid," Rachel giggled. "…Or do I? Well, first, let's introduce our Thoughts of the Unknown alumni who have gotten this amazing chance to be on the stage on this night. First, welcome our longest-running Thoughts of the Unknown veteran! Levi Lester, get out here!"

The crowd exploded with applause again as Levi walked onstage and chose one of the two seats nearest to backstage. Relatively… unchanged by all of this.

"Our second veteran to the show…" Rachel continued. "…Miss Mercury! Get out here!"

Mercury, unlike Levi, popped out from behind the curtain and strode proudly to the seat beside Levi. Totally changed by all of this.

"Now…" Rachel sighed. "…I never believed I'd ever get this opportunity. We've gotten an extremely coveted chance here, folks. Please welcome, for the first time, to Thoughts of the Unknown… Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails the Fox, Silver the Hedgehog, Vector the Crocodile, Dr. Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, Amy Rose, and Rouge the Bat!"

Eardrums must have been blown out as the aforementioned celebrities of Mobius strode onstage and each chose one of the nine chairs that sat across from the one Rachel proceeded to sit in.

"You all…" she smiled, still trying to push the majority of the rush out of her system. "None of us here at Thoughts of the Unknown could ever thank you enough for taking the time out of your days to spend quality time with us simpletons."

"'Ey, we were promised a good time!" Amy replied. "I'm having fun already!"

Some of the others nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's hop into said fun!" Rachel beamed. "We're going to start off with a simple Q and A. You guys familiar with that?"

Sonic and Tails nodded, almost bored already.

"We've got questions from three fans, and two of them are sitting right there so that they can ask you themselves," Rachel explained.

Mercury suddenly looked a little nervous.

"Uh…" she murmured.

"…Oh, right!" Rachel suddenly realized. "My bad!"

She quickly reached into her pocket to pull out three sheets of paper. She looked at them before handing one to Levi, handing one to Mercury, and keeping one for herself.

"Nobody's memory is the best," Rachel shrugged.

Only awkward silence followed.

"…A-Anyway," she continued, feeling drowned in the awkwardness. "Let's start with a question from a fan that couldn't make it out tonight. He goes under the pen name of 'Christian Wolf27,' and his question is for Sonic."

"All ears," Sonic replied.

"So… Sonic…" said Rachel. "Is it true that you and Shadow are really blood-related brothers?"

"If we were, I wouldn't see why," Sonic replied. "Guy's a total emo. Dark one to be around."

"He is, though!" Amy added.

"That's… the only one I have here from him," Rachel continued. "Don't worry, you all are going to be involved in this. Being left out is not something that happens here. I say… Mercury, how about you ask your questions next?"

"…Sure," Mercury shrugged.

She read from her paper.

"…Sonic," she said. "How would you describe all of your friends in one word?"

This question seemed to intrigue Sonic.

"…Maybe something like 'rainbow,'" Sonic replied. "They're all different, but they all find a way to make my day more interesting."

He glared at Eggman for a second.

"Note that the question was about my _friends_ ," he asserted.

"Tails," Mercury continued. "How do you feel when people call you 'Miles' instead of 'Tails?'"

"Weird," Tails explained. "Actually, I used to be indifferent to it, but as time went on and friendships were formed and grew stronger, it started to feel like I was… in school or something whenever it happened. For simplicity's sake, please, refer to me as 'Tails.'"

Mercury nodded before continuing "Silver… When looking at the present, what's your favorite thing from it compared to the future?"

Without a doubt, Rachel's attention was grabbed.

"You know… it'd probably take hours to think of just one thing," Silver replied. "…There's more to do here. How about that? There's more to see and more to enjoy."

The truth down to a science.

"Vector," Mercury continued. "What is your favorite music genre?"

"Nothing's better than good ol' rock and roll," Vector replied.

A few shouts of "Yeah!" could be heard from the audience.

"I can do with a bit of country, too," he said. "…Rap if it's about something other than bad decisions…"

"All music is about these days is sex and power, isn't it?" Rachel asked.

"True," Mercury nodded. "When you really think about it, the meaning can always be traced back to a steamy night in bed."

"It has room for improvement, if you ask me," said Tails.

"Well… Dr. Eggman," Mercury asked. "…Tell us. Why are you evil? Hmm?"

Silence fell across the studio. Sonic had this smug smirk on his face as he stared over at Eggman, and everyone else was completely dumbfounded.

"That hedgehog always gets in my way!" Eggman raged. "I have all these marvelous plans for the future, and he's always destroying them!"

"If by 'marvelous,' you mean 'disastrous and just plain stupid,'" Sonic replied. "Sure. Whatever."

Some of the audience laughed, and Sonic stuck a proud tongue out at Eggman.

Honestly, Eggman's similarity to a reddened Bob-omb worried Rachel a bit…

"Orbot," Mercury said. "…Is there _one_ positive thing you can say about Eggman?"

"He serves as a reminder that I should cherish the intelligence I was given," Orbot replied. "Something terrible must have happened to the guy's common sense."

The entire studio exploded into laughter. Eggman merely launched a fist into an arm of his chair and muttered under his breath.

"Such a high IQ, completely thrown away," Rachel giggled. "Great job."

"Cubot," Mercury chuckled evilly. "…How old is Eggman?"

"…That is impossible to tell for sure" Cubot said. "My predictions are somewhere in the 70s."

The laughter began again.

"Fools!" Eggman shouted. "I lost count at 40… T-That wasn't that long ago!"

"Amy…" Mercury sighed. "…Just _how_ can you mistake both Shadow and Silver for Sonic?"

Silver looked over at Amy with a smirk, extremely intrigued to hear the answer to this one.

"…T-They're both… hedgehogs," Amy stuttered. She was completely lost for reasoning.

"One's an emo with no friends, and one's a dedicated time traveler," said Sonic. "I am _neither_ of those, Ames."

"Have you ever been so absent that you almost walked into the bathroom when there was someone in there?" asked Tails. "Having a preoccupied mind is absolutely terrible."

"…Y-Yeah, what he said!" Amy said before merely setting her head into her hand.

"And Rouge," Mercury began. "…Actually, this one might be fit for the next segment."

"I think so as well," Rachel nodded. "Levi, it is now your turn. Ask away!"

"Thank you," Levi nodded. "Amy… Do you ever get tired of chasing Sonic? Doesn't it ever seen like it's not worth your time or effort?"

"Well, sure, I get tired," Amy replied. "I feel like I'll give out if I try to press on any longer. But I swear, it is worth every single ounce of my effort."

She looked over at Sonic… who was just about ready to try to crawl under his chair.

"I'd cross the world several times over for you, sweetie," she sighed. "Every day, until I give out from natural causes."

Why chunks weren't all over the stage? Nobody would ever know.

"Sonic," Levi went on. "When you're in your Super form… isn't it ever tempting to try to keep it forever?"

"…Not really, no," said Sonic. "With the Super form, if I try to run, I'll just end up flying. Flying, unlike running, takes no effort and gets boring after a while. Besides, the Super form gives me a rush. I'd hate not to be able to calm down."

"Good point," Rachel nodded.

"Tails," said Levi, almost cutting Rachel off. "I need to know this answer from you. Where did you learn all that you know? You can't have figured all of that out on your own. Where'd you learn to build planes from scratch? How'd you build a translator for an unknown alien language? How-"

"Trust me when I say it," said Tails. "…Nothing more than a gifted logic and a few books. Reading is power. Try it."

"…Very well," Levi nodded, only slightly disappointed. "Vector, I've actually got a couple of questions for you."

"Ask away," said Vector.

"Are you something akin to a legal guardian to Charmy, or are you more like a brother?" asked Levi.

"Legal guardian, by a long shot," Vector said with a bit of a groan. "The kid's really super annoying. I think Espio's more like the brother. The big brother who would almost never be seen playing with his younger sibling."

"And secondly, Vector," Levi continued. "Who came first to Chaotix: Espio or Charmy?"

"…Oh," Vector replied. "Oh, wow… That was ages ago now. If I had to try to remember, I'd say Charmy… but it could have been Espio… No, wait…"

"Understood," Levi nodded. "So… Dr. Eggman… As you can tell, trying to defeat Sonic has done no more than fall flat for you. Every time. So… What do you plan to try to do now?"

"Do you seriously believe that I would just _give up?!_ " Eggman raged, standing up. "I am Dr. Eggman, future ruler of this world you pathetic weaklings stand upon!"

"Please, sit down," Orbot and Cubot fretted, getting in front of Eggman. "They'll kick us all out if you keep this up!"

Therefore, with painful reluctance, Eggman sat back down.

"My final question actually goes to Orbot and Cubot," said Levi. "Guys… Do you feel cared for by anybody?"

"I'm not too awfully sure about that one," said Orbot, heaving a sad sigh.

"There has to be someone!" Cubot demanded.

"Aww…" Amy said.

Even Sonic had to admit… Some sorrow had to be felt for those two.

"So… Has every question been asked?" Rachel asked.

"I believe so," Levi replied.

"Alright!" Rachel said. "Thus, we move on to the final segment that will be seen by you all at home!"

If only she could hear the collective sadness from around the world…

"It's… kind of another Q and A, in a way," she explained. "But there's one general subject we'll be discussing. You all…"

She looked directly at the celebrities.

"One by one, I'll go down the line," she explained. "And I want to get your opinions on the whole shipping matter, and the shippings you're being thrusted into. Consider this segment my questions for you all. Sonic, let's start with you."

"Don't even get me started," Sonic groaned.

"Oh, you're getting started, buddy," Rachel snapped. "Seeing as you're the much more popular and coveted one than… most anyone else, you've been paired with pretty much every girl, and some guys, under the sun. Thoughts?"

"Well… Of course, I can only dream that it'll all come to a stop someday," Sonic said. "I know who I love, but… people can still believe what they want."

Silver gave a slight nod. He was in on what Sonic was hinting at.

"And who would that be?" Amy growled through gritted teeth. She wrapped her fingers around her hammer.

In a panic, Sonic replied "Well… A-A magician never reveals his secrets, hon!"

"Don't worry, Amy," Rouge said jokingly. "You'll always be his honey bun."

As Amy blushed and let go of the hammer, Rouge giggled, and Sonic just barely decided not to say anything.

(Backstage, Elektor was ready to yell at whoever had let her take the hammer up there.)

"Tails?" Rachel continued.

But Tails looked nothing more than forlorn. There was not a word to come out of him.

"Sensitive topic," Sonic explained, wrapping an arm around Tails's shoulders. "He lost someone he loved dearly."

"I see," Rachel apologized. "Terribly sorry for your loss."

Nervously, she moved on.

"Silver," she managed to say. "Shippings and all… What are your thoughts?"

"People really tend to pair me up with Blaze, right?" Silver explained. "A few with Amy… Sporadically with some others. I can understand Silvaze. Blaze is like the best sister anyone could ever ask for to me. But… I-It's honestly just that. Sister to brother, at this point."

"WHAT?!" and "Come on!" could be heard from a couple of spots in the audience.

Curse those golden eyes… It took Rachel a few seconds to come back to reality because of them and the voice their beholder had. That, and the relief that came from what he said.

"…Neat," she replied. "Misunderstandings, huh?"

"It's a common mistake, no matter where you go," Silver shrugged.

"Yeah," said Rachel. "So, Vector! I mean… I've really only seen you shipped with Espio, sometimes… and Vanilla! How's that?"

"I need to have a word with the people who ship me with Espio," Vector explained. "However…"

Vector's face instantly began to burn crimson.

"T-The whole thing with Vanilla is understandable, okay?!" he continued. "She's beautiful and sweet! Alright?!"

The rest of them were chuckling to themselves.

"Alright!" cheered Rachel. "Alright… Dr. Eggman! Wait… Does anyone really ship anyone with him?"

"I'd hope not," Sonic laughed.

"I don't think anyone ships Orbot or Cubot with anyone, either," said Vector.

"Eh, who needs your pathetic love and shippings and crud?" Eggman grumbled. "Not us!"

"Alright, so… Amy!" said Rachel. "You're shipped with a lot of the well-known guys, like Shadow and Silver, but you, by far, are most shipped with Sonic."

Sonic sunk a bit in his chair.

"And that's good," Amy replied. "Because they'd be accurate."

"And finally, we come to you, Rouge," Rachel continued. "This was actually Mercury's question from earlier, and it pretty much sums up what I wonder, too. So… Team Knuckles or Team Shadow?"

With a sly smile on her face, she listened as debate sprouted from all locations of the audience.

"Knuckles is a knucklehead," Rouge replied. "Yet… so is Shadow. I've got my eye on both of them, but neither of them really stick out to me yet."

"Ha!" could be heard from somewhere in the audience. Well heard, sir.

"I just gotta wait until one of them is as precious as jewelry," Rouge explained. "Until then… Why should I bother? It'd be such a slowdown."

"Well said," Rachel nodded.

She stood and faced the camera.

"Unfortunately, that's all we have going on over the air tonight," she announced. "Next week, it'll just be the simpletons again."

She turned to the celebrities.

"Once again, it'd take ages to thank you all enough for being here today," she said.

"We had fun," Silver replied. "Thank _you_ for inviting us!"

With a rosy hue on her face, she turned back to the camera.

"Next week… I believe we discuss the shipping of Scourge and Fiona," she said. "See you then!"

The cameras flipped off, and security guards were hastily directing the audience out from the studio. Some of them were confused by this impatience.

Elektor emerged from backstage and walked up to Rachel, handing her another sheet of paper.

"As you all know," she announced to who was left. "The final phase of Episode Party is a meet-and-greet. Wait… It seems that only Mercury is signed up to meet with some of the celebrities."

She aimed a confused look at Levi.

"You sure, Levi?" she asked.

"I'm sure," Levi nodded. "I… kinda wanted to strike up a chat with you. If it's okay."

"…Sure," she replied.

 _Why_ was he just casting off this chance as if it was nothing?!

"Mercury," she said. "You're set to meet with Sonic, Silver, Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, and Rouge. Tails, Vector, and Amy… you're free to go."

The three who weren't meeting with Mercury went backstage and toward the Employee and Guest door out of the studio. Amy struggled to take the steps.

Levi and Rachel merely went backstage and took seats on the couches.

"So," said Rachel. "What-"

She was cut off by Elektor's incoming question.

"Uh, Rachel," he said. "When do we have them leave?"

"Whenever they're ready," Rachel shrugged. "Time constraints aren't fun."

After a thumbs-up, Elektor headed back out to the stage.

"There's not really a specific subject I need to discuss," Levi said. "I… just thought we could… t-talk."

"Of course," Rachel smiled.

"I have wondered, though…" Levi began. "What gave you the idea to start this show?"

"Well… What gave me the idea to make it a public show?" Rachel explained. "I love being able to connect with a fan base. I think much of the reason people don't care for a talk show is because the audience isn't involved enough. They don't feel important. It's like they're just… sitting through a show. I don't want that. I realized that I am a simpleton, and that it'd be cool to connect with other simpletons on a topic that many like to discuss. We're all a family here at Thoughts of the Unknown. The best way to make something that people will like is to actually make your viewers matter. Let them in on it while still having control over it."

*Onstage*

"It's really not that simple, when you look back on it," Rouge explained. "You ever see anyone walk into a Macy's and just carry out a thing of shirts like nothing happened?"

It had only been half an hour, but it seemed like a decade to every guy that was still onstage.

Sonic decided to be the brave one to take the initiative.

"Hey, Mercury? Rouge?" he said. "We're… gonna go now. Is that alright with you guys?"

"That's fine," Mercury replied. "It was cool meeting you guys."

"Go on ahead," Rouge added.

Sonic, along with Eggman's team, left through the same doors that the show's audience would come and go through. Ugh, what wouldn't they give to try to snap each other's necks after that?

Silver, however, headed for the backstage curtains. He... had brought something, and was trying to decide whether to leave it behind or not.

*Backstage*

"…That's not all there is to it, is there?" said Levi. "You use words so much differently than everyone else."

"Well…" Rachel sighed. "…Maybe you wonder why I seem so passionate about shippings."

"That's it," Levi nodded.

"…I was always a hopeless romantic," Rachel admitted. "The very moment I started _truly_ growing up, I was fascinated by the idea of having someone of the opposite gender to be dedicated to. To hold close, to kiss… To assure you that you meant something on this world. And… well… as pathetic as it may sound, the fact that I didn't have anyone like that bugged me like you wouldn't believe. Of course, as I learned more, I realized that there's more to life than having a boyfriend… but it still gets to me. I'm a lonely sap, and… sometimes, it makes me feel like I don't mean anything to anyone. It even gets to the point where I consider ending it all. Doesn't help that nobody really talks to me for anything but business."

"How can you be so invested in something that could end up backfiring in the end?" Levi questioned."

"To me, it's worth the risk," Rachel answered. "If it all goes right, your life grows much bigger and better than what it was before. Everything is huge. Everything is happy."

"But… it beats you up so much…" Levi argued. "…I just don't see the point behind it. That's just me, though."

All of a sudden, a completely different voice asked "Does love really do that to you?!"

Levi turned around, and Rachel looked up. The latter's bones were both chilled and warmed at the same time.

At some point, Silver had managed to enter the backstage area without a sound. He was here. He… heard all of that… Oh, goodness…

"How long have you been in here?" Levi asked.

"Ever since 'I was always a hopeless romantic,'" Silver sighed, immediately taking a seat next to Levi… which ended up being directly across from Rachel.

"Yeah… it does that to you," Rachel replied, not being able to help but look down at her feet. "It's so deadly, but so lifesaving at the same time. It all depends on what it does."

He was staring at her, wasn't he? He had to be… Good or not good? To look up or to stay down?

"I had no idea either," said Levi.

A short pause ensued.

Then, suddenly, Rachel felt a hand be planted on her shoulder.

Oh, the rush of different emotions she felt whizzing by when she looked up to see that it belonged to Silver.

"Hey," he said to her. "…I-I'll be your friend."

She could utter nothing more but a surprised gasp as she looked up to see his compassionate face.

"It was actually Amy that introduced me to your show," Silver explained. "It isn't like all the other reality shows out there that treat love like this thing you just play around with. I actually became a regular viewer recently. I got addicted to how open-ended it is… and honestly… h-how witty its hostess is."

"You… really mean that?" Rachel asked.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," Silver nodded, taking his hand away and standing up. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"…Gotcha!" Rachel replied, a laugh of happiness tracing her voice. "You got it, Silver!"

He walked over to the door to the outside world.

"And whenever you're under the belief that nobody cares about you," he added. "Remember… I do. Promise me you'll remember that."

"I promise!" Rachel said, a huge smile beaming from her face.

With a smile of his own, Silver said "I'll see you again sometime!" before opening the door and exiting the building.

"…Ohh, I think I get it now," said Levi. "This is an example of when love plays out right… right?"

"Are you kidding?!" Rachel laughed. "Right times 10 to the sixth power!"

Levi let out a hearty laugh and stood up.

"I should be heading home now," he said. "I'll see if I can make next week's show!"

"Alright," said Rachel. "See ya!"

Thus, Levi left the studio.

She walked over to where her bag was… when she noticed something oddly pink sitting near to it.

She lifted her bag.

A rose. A rose whose pink hue seemed to have been tinted a huge bit. With a tag wrapped around it.

Curiously, she picked up said rose and opened its tag.

"To Rachel, from Silver," one blank side read.

The other blank side read "Thank you for inviting me on the show. We need to hang out sometime!"

Thus, for the next minute or so, Rachel was left cradling the rose against her heart, slumped down against the couch she had found it on, and submerged in happiness unimaginable to the naked eye.

*Outside*

As he got himself to walk away from the studio, he knew for sure that he had to memorize the path to get here. No matter how far, it… wasn't far. Not far enough to keep him from her smile.

* * *

 **Author's note: Too much? I tried my best not to make it all** _ **that**_ **romantic yet. Friends can love to see each other smile, right?**


	16. Episode 15 (Scourge x Fiona)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for their OCs. Honestly, they're both going to be considered veterans at this point! Oh, and thanks to the one known as "Fox" for next week's topic. Thank you** _ **all**_ **for being here.**

* * *

"Back to normal," Elektor sighed. "How's it feel?"

"…Boring," Rachel replied. "But hey… I'm alright."

She walked toward the curtain to the stage.

"I'm just fine."

All she left behind was a puzzled producer.

The cameras flipped on, and the excitement in the audience was running free.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" she beamed. "This week, we're back to normal. Doesn't mean it has to be boring, though! This week, we're discussing the shipping of Scourge and Fiona… another one of those canon pairs, isn't it? I don't know much, so I see it as an evildoer and an evildoer being in love with each other. Nothing wrong with that… right? Well, I don't know much, so I've got no credibility on my side this time. Why don't we get two guests out here who, perhaps, know more than I do? Now… I'm going to introduce them at the same time this time around. One of them is the longest-running veteran to the show… but the other has been so dedicated to this that I want to consider her a veteran as well. So please welcome, with a warm applause, your Thoughts of the Unknown veterans… Levi and Mercury!"

The studio exploded into applause when both Levi and Mercury came out from backstage at the same time. They promptly chose their seats and aimed happy smiles at the audience.

A few of them already sensed a shipping in the making. Ah, those naïve dreamers.

"I'm so happy to have you both on this show, and I thank you for being so dedicated," Rachel smiled as she took her seat. "…N-Now, don't get me wrong. New guests are always welcomed with open arms here! If you've got something to say and want to introduce yourself… feel free!"

"One of us…" Mercury chanted. "One of us…"

"Anyway," Rachel continued. "We've got an interesting topic this week. Scourge and Fiona, evil and evil. Two evils formed into the shape of a heart. Mercury… is this heart glowing or poisonous?"

"I actually really enjoy this couple," Mercury replied. "I mean, sure, Fiona dated Sonic… and Tails had a crush on her…"

"Wait, she DID?!" Rachel exclaimed. Her mind really was dry on the subject.

"…Yeah… she did…" Mercury continued. "But she stated herself that she liked Scourge, rather than Sonic. But what I really like is that… in a way… she became more and more evil because of his influence on her. And yes, Scourge definitely is a womanizer… but despite that, he has legitimate _feelings_ for Fiona. Why? Because he finds it hot that Fiona chooses to be evil rather than just being "dark from the get-go," like the people of Moebius. I dunno. There's a weird charm to this couple. Even though they're both evil, the couple's still awesome."

Well, that was a brain's worth of news.

"Huh," Rachel nodded, actually intrigued. "…Alright. Levi, your take?"

"Scourge and Fiona… are a nice fit for each other, I suppose," Levi explained. "Neither of them are particularly kind, but they're always there for each other. No, this love probably won't last for life, but they care enough to stay with each other. As Mercury said, Scourge is attracted to Fiona because she chose to be evil. Fiona simply likes him, and that's all he ever truly wanted: to be recognized as his own person, not just an evil version of Sonic."

"Hmm…" Rachel nodded. "There's much more to this than I initially thought. See, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to their universe, and… I am definitely going to look at the two of them much differently from now on. Thank you both."

"It's no problem at all," Levi nodded.

"Well, that wraps up this intriguing episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel announced. "Actually… Fiona is going to be a part of next week's topic as well. Next week, we'll be addressing Tails and Fiona. The evildoer, and… apparently, the young genius that had a crush on her. Huh. Welp, see you then!"

The cameras flipped off, and everyone went their separate ways.

Rachel sat down on one of the couches backstage. Almost instantly, though, Elektor walked over and sat down on the couch directly across from her.

"Can you believe it's already dark out?" Rachel asked. "Not even twilight. Just… the sky is a void. It's kinda depressing."

"I dunno," Elektor shrugged. "It's actually kinda peaceful."

Moment of silence.

"So, something's been bugging me all day," he continued. "It's Mercury."

"Let me guess," Rachel responded. "Mum's the word about who she likes."

"It's clear she likes someone," said Elektor. "I can't get her first episode here out of my mind today."

"I mean… she's gotta have her reasons," Rachel shrugged. "Then again… If we knew, I think we could help her. If we ever find out, we should try to set her up with her special person."

They both shrugged.

The entire time, though, Rachel had noticed that there was an envelope nestled snugly in Elektor's left hand. The fold on the back was face-up, so she had no clue what it was or what it contained.

"…What's that?" Rachel asked, pointing to it.

"Oh… t-this?" Elektor replied, holding it up… before setting it down by his side. "Just a… a-a paper with instructions I need to give to the… light janitor."

"Light janitor?" Rachel questioned, a laugh painted on her mouth. "…There's a stamp on it. Explain to me why there's a stamp on it. And why it appears that the name above the destination address is _mine_."

"It was mailed here from some… corporation place!" Elektor stuttered. "I swear, it's not some sort of letter!"

Rachel never thought she'd be giving Elektor such a stern look.

"…Give it," she sighed, holding out her hand.

"Alright, you got me," Elektor replied, placing the envelope in her hand. "I've got stuff to do anyway."

He walked away.

"Like what?" Rachel asked.

But she was not heard.

So… what was this, anyway? Her first fan letter? Aw, how sweet!

…Wait, THIS fan? Seriously… _that_ fan?! Oh, wow… Day instantly made.

One look at the return address told her that this letter was sent to her by _Silver_. So he really wasn't kidding, huh? If only she had the recklessness to tear this thing open like a lion tearing its prey apart. Well, that was an interesting simile…

She opened the envelope, removing the handwritten note that waited inside it. As she read it, the smile on her heart grew wider with every word.

"Dearest Rachel," it read. "How have you been? I've been alright, myself. Thank you again for inviting me to the show last week; that was heaps of fun! I really hope you're doing well… and I want to come out there sometime. You know what? I'll find a slot somewhere in my busy schedule, and I am going to come out there, to the studio. Is that okay? I'd love to see you again! Sincerely, Silver."

Where was the nearest sheet of paper? Where was the nearest freaking piece of sliced tree around here?!

Fortunately, she looked around the backstage area… and found an unopened package of it sitting on a table. How convenient.

Sooner than she figured, her letter back was written.

"Dearest Silver," it read. "I've been wonderful. Thank you for asking, and thank you for accepting my invitation to the show. That really was a lot of fun! And yes, you are more than welcome to come over to the studio sometime. We're really only there on Fridays, though. I'd love to see you again as well. Oh, and I got the rose you left for me. That was really sweet of you! Hey… You just know how to make people's days, don't you? Sincerely, Rachel."

Once that was sealed up, she went out to the studio's mailbox and clipped it to the clothespin that was dedicated to outgoing mail.

She went back inside, picked up Silver's letter to her, and read it over and over again… once accidentally letting a dreamy sigh escape her respiratory system.

Her view of this was blocked by the letter… but Elektor just so happened to be in the room when that sigh was audible to the world. And he was a mix of discouraged and angry. Discouraged that he was so weak as to bring the letter with him… and angry at the persuasive power that celebrities seemed to have toward the hearts of innocent simpletons. Especially… who he hoped would someday be his innocent simpleton.


	17. Episode 16 (Tails x Fiona)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "Guest" (who I get the feeling is the one known as "random gal" in disguise. If there's been a terrible mistake, feel free to roast me over an open fire.) and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. Thanks to the one known as "ThorntheCheetah" for the topics for the next** _ **three**_ **episodes.**

 **Note to the one known as "ThorntheCheetah": I'll take your OC and opinions in starting next time, I promise.**

* * *

As Rachel walked in the door that night, she was immediately greeted by Elektor. So immediate that it caught her off guard.

"H-Hi," he stuttered.

"…Hey, buddy," Rachel replied. "How are you tonight?"

"Great," Elektor said. "I… uh… want to ask you something."

"Ah," Rachel nodded. "What would that be?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to… see that new Goosebumps movie with me," Elektor explained. "I hear it's really good."

"I know that," Rachel nodded. "I know it's good… because I literally just saw it with some friends a couple of hours ago."

"Seriously?" Elektor asked, clearly exasperated.

"…Seriously," Rachel laughed. "Sorry about that."

"No, don't be sorry," Elektor replied. "Is there another movie you'd like to see? Maybe… Hotel Transylvania 2?"

"Never got to see the first one," Rachel sighed.

"Jem and the Holograms?" asked Elektor, grasping at invisible straws.

"A story about a rising pop star…" Rachel answered. "Too real. Too… girly."

She looked at the clock.

"I gotta get out there," she said, walking toward the stage. "Let me know if you get any more bright ideas."

She smiled to herself as she walked away.

Elektor made a thud in the wall with his head.

Onstage, the cameras flipped on.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel announced. "Tonight, we'll be discussing… a rather potential shipping. One dreamt of by the man, and hated by the woman. One that I personally believe would never work out. We're speaking of Tails and Fiona, the genius that fell for the evil sorceress… or something like that. First up, we've got our usual veterans. Our usual AWESOME veterans! Levi and Mercury!"

The crowd burst into applause as Mercury strode onstage, with Levi in her wake.

"Next, we've got opinions," said Rachel, taking her seat. "Opinions! Pick an opinion, any opinion! Wow… Motto right there… Anyway, let's go to you first, Levi. What do you think of Tails and Fiona as a thing?"

"I don't think it's a match in any way," Levi explained. "Tails may have been fond of her, but her disinterest was clear. Tails ended up being able to move on. Besides, she's really not a great influence. That is my observation, more than it is my opinion."

"Hmm…" Rachel nodded. "Mercury? How about you?"

"Well… they're both foxes," Mercury shrugged. "But I must give you an epic _no_. I get that Tails had a crush on Fiona, but even she wasn't interested, mostly due to the age difference. Not to mention… Fiona almost kinda ruined Tails's friendship with Sonic (when she and Sonic were an item) to the point where fights came up (mostly started by Tails). Fiona only gave heartbreak to Tails. And we all already know: _She's not a great influence_. So overall, this couple has no logic and absolutely nothing good going for it. Fiona likes Scourge and Tails is just his own fox. What more can I say?"

"So…" said Rachel. "The general consensus here is that she's a bad influence."

"Pretty much," Mercury nodded.

"Well," said Rachel, standing up and facing the camera. "That's it for this episode of Thoughts of the Unknown! Next week's topic… will likely have some groaning 'Oh, dear God….' I mean… they're absolute enemies. Stranger things have happened. Sonourge, everyone. Counterpart and counterpart… as one in a romantic way? We'll see. I'll see you all then!"

As everyone began packing up, Rachel went to a certain little app, just for laughs, to look back on a certain chat log.

It had all started out with "Hi! I really like your work!", to which she had replied "Aw, thank you! It's not often that I get praise such as yours!"

His final message to her was "Oh, you have no idea how excited I am that I finally get to see you!"

Her final message to him was "I know! This is going to be fun!"

From then on, any message to one another was exchanged with an audible voice, and a visible face. This show had been built from the very foundation that was put together with their hands.

How was it that she almost expected him to ask her about seeing a movie with him someday?

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: Who else has seen the new Goosebumps movie? The horror fan within my friend Emily was pleased, the nostalgia factor within my friend Jackie was pleased, and the romantic within me was very pleased. Best of ALL worlds! I'm impressed! What did you think?**


	18. Episode 17 (Sonic x Scourge)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "ThorntheCheetah," Oceanic Coral, and the one known as "random gal" (who I now know WAS "Guest" from last week) for their OCs and opinions. Oh, and a huge shoutout to Oceanic Coral for doing** _ **fanart**_ **for the story! That's one of the sweetest things anyone's ever done!**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed to this week's audience. "For a little bit of time here, we're… going to what some may define as 'that part of the Internet.' Great example being tonight's topic… Sonourge. The shipping of two counterparts who _canonically_ would give anything to rip each other's throats out of their bodies. BUT stranger things have happened. Just remember that. In my opinion… nope. Nope, nope, nopity nope. Not specifically because it's weird… but because they hate each other, as far as I know. Again, they want to wring each other's throats. If that's a definition of love to you… you need to escape from wherever you are. Here to help me tonight, I have three guests. Two of them are our beloved Thoughts of the Unknown veterans… Levi and Mercury!"

The audience exploded into an untamable applause as Levi and Mercury emerged from backstage and found their seats. It… literally took a full minute for Rachel to await the crowd's quieting.

"Our newest face is one who needs nothing more than a bucket of laughs and good ol' rock and roll to be happy," she finally continued. "Please give a warm Thoughts of the Unknown welcome… to Thorn the Cheetah!"

The crowd then exploded into a warm applause as said Thorn showed her face on the stage for the very first time. She had black fur, with a white tuft on her chest. One eye was a ruby, the other being the most ignored color on the rainbow… in other words, indigo. Poor indigo. She wore a simple purple T-shirt with army green pants that went down to her calves, and she practically skipped to the remaining seat beside Mercury.

"Welcome to the show, Thorn!" Rachel smiled, sitting in her designated seat. "Now… Oh, it's been so long since I've gotten to do this… If you've seen this show in its early weeks, you know that new guests are asked a certain little question. It won't be held against you; it's merely something that I'd like to know… and will be embraced. So… Thorn… Is there anyone from the Sonic universe that you've got your heart set on?"

But the cheetah said nothing. There was a hint of blush on her face, but aside from that, she just sat there… mute as an ant…

"…That's alright," Rachel nodded. "We all have our reasons. Let's go to you first for the opinion, though. Sonic and Scourge… Is it truly a train wreck?"

"Maybe," Thorn nodded. "…Probably. It probably wouldn't work out."

"I probably agree with you," Rachel agreed. "How about you, Mercury? Your take on this shipping?"

"Um… Wouldn't Sonic be dating himself?" Mercury explained. "I mean, they both share the same abilities, and even though Scourge likes to think of himself as his own hedgehog, he honestly isn't. No matter what he tries, he'll always just be an evil version of Sonic."

"Poor guy…" Rachel whispered.

"Wouldn't their personalities clash, too?" Mercury continued. "Good and evil don't really… mix well. One is always trying to be on top of the other. So… NO. I don't see these two together. Sonic is day and Scourge is night. The 'opposites attract' theory can't make a dent in how unlikely this is. Scourge has Fiona, Sonic has the wind. That's all there is to it."

"Yep," Rachel agreed. "You ever try mixing water with oil? Doesn't work. Alright… Levi?"

"Um… to put it very bluntly, it's not happening," Levi replied, more sincerely than ever before. "They don't like each other, to say the very least. I mean, Scourge tried to ruin Sonic's social life and image. Heck, they're technically the same person. It's just that Scourge lacks in… some finer qualities. This is so strange…"

From somewhere in the audience, someone pointed out "This is, like, 'Deep Web' stuff."

"And it's yet to come to an end," Rachel sighed, standing up. "Next week… a romance between the murderer and the murdered. Huh… interesting book idea… but it's also essentially what this shipping is. Mephonic, everyone. Mephiles and Sonic, the dark being and the windy being. Thorn, thank you for coming to the show! I will see you all next week!"

The cameras flipped off, and everyone went their separate ways.

Momentarily, though, both the show's head producer and the show's head hostess were seated across from each other again. There was nothing in the former's hand this time.

"I've been playing the audio from Mercury's debut over and over," Elektor complained. "And I think I'm starting to make out what she murmured. Well… one word. That word is 'ebony.'"

"I remember the word 'fur,'" Rachel added.

"Was it the first or second word she said?" Elektor asked. "'Ebony' was the third."

"'Fur' was the first, I think," said Rachel. "Fur… ebony… Ebony is practically midnight black, isn't it?"

"I… think so," Elektor thought aloud. "I guess it can also be a very dark brown."

"Huh," Rachel sighed. "Who do we know whose fur is a very dark color?"

"Well," Elektor answered. "There's the em-"

Suddenly, "Hey, Elektor!" came from the curtains and jolted Elektor out of the middle of his sentence.

"…Yep?" Elektor called back.

"I tried to put the light to the specific brightness you told me about last week," the stage crew member responded. "Can you show me how to do that again?"

"Gotcha," said Elektor, getting up and heading for the stage.

Good… Now, Rachel could wonder in peace.


	19. Episode 18 (Mephiles x Sonic)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "random gal", Oceanic Coral, and the one known as "ThorntheCheetah" for their OCs and opinions. Correct me if I'm wrong… but happy late birthday, Oceanic Coral! Hope it was awesome!**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed. "This week, we're still… trapped. 'That section of the Internet' still has us trapped under its iron web. This week's topic… Mephonic. The victim, and the heartless one who brought death upon him. Again, seems like an interesting tale… but I say that unless something EXTREMELY special were to happen in the future, I actually have no words for how unlikely this shipping is. I-I can't even acknowledge it as a shipping properly! But I have a few people who can potentially help me out here. I'll introduce them all at once since they were all on the show last week. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to know if you remember… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The crowd erupted into applause as said guests hopped out from backstage and over to their seats, in one elegant motion.

"Alrighty…" Rachel sighed, taking her own seat. "…Mephonic. Thorn, let's go to you first. Do you believe there's something we're all overlooking here?"

"The shipping's pretty cool," Thorn replied.

Another one of those infamous awkward silences fell across the studio.

"Mercury," Rachel asked, matter-of-factly. "Do you agree with this statement?"

"Well, I know Mephiles killed Sonic," Mercury explained. "But aside from that… have they ever truly met each other?"

"Because senseless murder to the first degree is totally the best first impression, you know?" said Rachel.

"Yep," Mercury laughed. "Mephiles is a being made entirely of darkness. I highly doubt he cares about romance, especially for this reason. I also highly doubt that Sonic would want to date someone who sees him as nothing more than a dead body on the ground. Think about it for a second: Sonic dating authentic darkness?! It just won't work! And also… How would they kiss?"

Most of the building's living contents shuddered.

"He doesn't have a…" Mercury stuttered. "…Man, this is just weird."

"You're not wrong," Rachel nodded. "Levi? How about you? A match made in Heaven?"

"I say nay!" Levi responded. "I don't remember Mephiles ever being much of a _person_ magnet, let alone a love magnet. Last I remember, he is, and I quote, 'manipulative, cruel, sadistic, and ruthless.' Not very great for the Hero of Mobius. The only remote interest that he ever held in Sonic was the interest in _seeing him die_. Would Sonic even remember Mephiles, anyway?"

"Doubt it," said Rachel. "In short, this is just another trophy in the showcase that stands just outside the door to the Deep Web."

Both Levi and Mercury nodded.

"Welp, that's it for this week!" said Rachel, standing up. "…And it's not freaking over yet. Next week, Mephiles will be making a grand return to our line of discussion in something that could very well be another case of love between counterparts of the same being. Mephadow, everyone. A shadow and its shadow. Because that's apparently a thing. See you all then!"

The cameras shut off, and everyone went on their merry way. Rachel walked backstage. Not expecting to see the sight of a wrap on Elektor's left knee. The kind she'd sometimes put around her ankle when she was convinced that she'd torn it like a piece of jerky.

"Hey," she worried, walking up to him. "What happened to your knee?"

"So yesterday, I decided to go outside for once," Elektor started. "Went on a nice little bike ride. Everything's smooth, the wind rushed past my ears… then boom, a driveway that practically had a panel of it scraped away. My bike fell over to the side, and my leg got caught in it in a way that it was jerked just a bit too far in one direction. Boom. Sprained knee."

"Really sorry about that," Rachel sighed.

"Sucks," Elektor sighed in response.

As Rachel walked away, she said "Hope your knee gets soon, buddy."

"Thanks," Elektor smiled.

At that exact moment, oddly enough, his phone vibrated in his hand. So nonchalantly was how he lifted it up and looked at it. Honestly, the only person he ever communicated with over cell phone was Rachel, occasionally. She had literally just walked away.

Yet it was still a surprise when he looked to find that it was an actual text message. Not from Rachel.

That surprise went to straight-up shock… the kind that could land someone in the ER… when he read the name as Viola and knew that he wasn't mistaken. Normally, you see a viola being moved in such a way that it produces beautiful swells and chords that add elegance to a song.

You ever see a viola play instead of being played? Such was the case several years ago. Since then, it was never until now that poor Elektor had heard from her. Several years ago came an event that left him believing that any promise of love he got was one made with crossed fingers.

Since then, he'd been alone, for reason of pure gold. Just a little while after, his partner in business had fit the "true love" mold. At this very moment, though, she broke free and walked away. Why, oh why, was Viola here? What more was there to play?

* * *

 **Note to Oceanic Coral: I think another fan of mine has got Mercury's special someone all figured out. I think the jig might be up. What do you think? Should I do the epic reveal?**

 **Author's casual discussion: Anyone played/seen someone play Undertale? That game is honestly a beautiful work of art; I've never seen anything like it. It's inspired me to get motivated, again, to make a game of my own.**


	20. Episode 19 (Mephiles x Shadow)

**Props: Thanks to the one known as "ThorntheCheetah" (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the new identity is Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT), the one known as "random gal," and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. I couldn't do this without fans like you!**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to this… oh so fabulous week's episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed to the blossoming cameras. "This week… I'm not exactly sure, but I think we finally see light through the 'Deep Web'… web. This week's topic is another example of something I like to call 'I Don't Need Anybody Else!', in which someone falls in love with someone that is essentially themselves, but in some different way, shape, or form. Shadow and his shadow, Mephiles, everyone. This one… Huh… Again, I think a _very_ special set of circumstances would have to happen for this to be true… b-but…"

And thus flashed the onset of a curiosity so severe that it cut off some slight circulation to her head for a split second.

"It makes me wonder… and this is a random question I literally _just_ got…" she continued. "…What if Shadow had fallen for all Mephiles had to say back in '06? What then? Would the world be any different? Would we be begging for survival in a sea of blood and tears, but no fruit to our sweat? Interesting thing to ponder… but maybe as a shower thought. I have the usual veterans, plus another guest from the past couple of weeks, to discuss this shipping with us. Please welcome back to these floors… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The usual household names of the show appeared from behind the curtain and made their ways to their seats, dancing in the cheers.

"Alrighty," Rachel sighed, finding her own seat. "Hope you all made it here alright. Found an… ice ball in my hair when I got here… A-Anyway, let's go to you first, Thorn. Mephadow. Yay or nay?"

"…Interesting," Thorn nodded.

Behold… the awkward silence.

"Awesome," Rachel nodded. "How about you, Levi? Match made in heaven or hell?"

"Er… HELL," Levi nodded. "Mephiles has a deep _hatred_ for Shadow. Heck, he made it a vow to make sure the streets were lined with his blood! Shadow really doesn't seem to think much of him in return. Only pure hate exists between these two. If love is peace, these two are war. Mephiles stole Shadow's appearance, and Shadow sealed Mephiles into a cramped scepter. Not great impressions, if you ask me."

"Mhm…" Rachel nodded.

And she was nodding. Nearly nodding away from reality.

"…Hey, Rachel?" asked Mercury. "You okay there?"

"…Hmm?" Rachel responded, waking back up. "Oh, I g-guess so. I had to wake up at, like, four in the morning for this thing at school. I thought getting to go home after lunch would help it, but… whatever."

Some of the audience nodded sympathetically. Someone even said "True, true."

"Anyway!" Rachel said with a fake bolt. "Mercury! What… What do you think of all of this?"

Actually, this little hesitation was because she was pushing laughter back with her hand. She had a hunch. A strong hunch that had cropped up the day before.

"Mephiles… a-and Shadow!" Mercury replied. "Alright, first of all: they're both mortal enemies. Second of all, everything that happened between the both of them has likely destroyed any possibility of a partnership beyond repair. Third of all, you're right: This is exactly like Sonourge, in the respect that they'd pretty much be dating themselves. I mean, it's pretty much Shadow dating his own shadow. You ever just look down at your own shadow on a sunny day and just wanna kiss it? Not likely. And again, Mephiles doesn't have a freaking mouth! How would they… um… never mind. But still, it wouldn't work. Shadow wouldn't want to date that creep anyway. He's better solo. I mean, he's pretty awesome… I-In a fan type of way, it's not like I-I mean…" She sighed. "…I'll just shut up now."

Meanwhile, the producer's lair backstage was echoing with the laughter of its own inhabitant. Many times over. He'd had that same hunch. Much stronger, though.

"So… general consensus?" Rachel asked.

"Deep Web stuff," both Mercury and Thorn stated at the same time.

"Welp, hopefully, we're free from it!" Rachel announced, standing up. "Are we? Well… next week's discussion is ScourgAmy, so… your call! The player and the played. Played, I think. Welp… see ya all then!"

The cameras shut off, and Rachel walked backstage, just about ready to kick her bag of belongings to the side and do a trust fall with one of the backstage couches. Ah, news… As if she wasn't on TV enough…

That, though, was when a couple of solid knocks sounded on the door.

Elektor? Light guys? Er… Levi? _Anyone_ gonna get that?

No? Very well, then. It'd be the generous hostess.

She opened the door, almost knocked flat when she saw three familiar faces there.

No, her heart wasn't the one doing a perpetual dance. Trust me, someone else's would be pretty soon. There stood Team Dark, all giving her a rushed look, with Rouge standing in front of Shadow and Omega. Wait, Shadow had hung up on Elektor once! What the hell was this?

"Hi there," Rouge stated. "This area was on the way to our next destination, so we figured we'd stop in and say hi!"

"Oh," Rachel smiled. "Well… h-hi there!"

"You mean _she_ wanted to say hi," Omega corrected her.

Somewhere, a certain Mercury just so happened to be walking by when she saw that door open. She now hid behind a corner, wishing she could melt into the wall. She felt as if she could have, what with the boiling point of her face. She couldn't be seeing shit… Had they done this?!

Back up on the scene, Rouge groaned " _Fine_ , we'll go! I-It's not like that place is going to have any Chaos Emeralds there!"

"But the firearms…" Omega commented. "And the fireworks… And the-"

"I know what I said," Rouge snapped.

And at that, they walked away, leaving Rachel to close the door and turn around… catching Mercury's tomatoey self.

"You got a fever in my studio?" Rachel asked, walking over to her. "It'd better be dance fever… or I swear, I'm taking a Purell shower tonight."

"No, I feel… f-fine…" Mercury replied.

"…Lovey fever?" Rachel asked.

Mercury did nothing but look up at her, bug-eyed.

"Nailed it," Rachel smiled, snapping her fingers. "Your jig's up, girl. Who's the beau who doesn't know what beautiful door has opened?"

"…It's Shadow," Mercury sighed. "It's SHADOW, okay?! The one that everyone's got their hands on, or longs to at the least. Who doesn't love that dark attitude?"

Rachel could only nod with a smirk. Plans. They had just arrived on her doorstep.

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: What's your take on the holidays this time of year? Is it straight to Christmas after Halloween, or would you throw a turkey at any Santa that tries to get in your face?**


	21. Episode 20 (Scourge x Amy)

**Props: Thank you to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. You guys are not only awesome fans… but I believe you are amazing friends as well.**

* * *

As Rachel had walked toward the door to the studio that particular evening, she noticed that the parking lot had an unusual presence to it. Maybe that was the car parked there that had the WIN57 logo on it. That celebrity gossip show she always skipped over when finding the lunchtime show on weekends…

As she walked in, though, she noticed that Elektor's expression had an unusual presence on it. Maybe that was the smile on his face. That, she had no clue what to make of.

"Hey, Elektor," she said to him. "I wanna tell you something."

"Shoot!" Elektor replied. With unimaginable cheer. Was the upcoming Thanksgiving really that invigorating?

"So a few weeks back, I saw an episode of that Steve Harvey show," Rachel explained. "They had this segment where they took a woman's date requirements and matched her up with a date. The list was _insane_ , but with a few compromises, they managed it. I dunno why… and I don't think the idea would go well more than once, if at all… but I couldn't help but think of our show."

"Wait…" Elektor interrupted. "…You're not seriously thinking of pairing fans up with the-"

"It's an interesting idea… but it should stay that way," said Rachel. "I think, anyway."

"There's a journalist that tried to get into the studio earlier, hence the car outside," Elektor sighed. "I hope security gets done with the punk soon…"

"Wait, we've got paparazzi?!" Rachel reacted. "Have we finally gotten that famous?!"

"I don't think it's us this time," said Elektor. "It's probably because-"

For some odd reason, he stopped short. The entire _studio_ got tense.

"…I-I dunno," he shrugged.

"…Gotcha, buddy," Rachel replied. She then walked to the stage, skeptical. Really skeptical.

Meanwhile, Elektor breathed a sigh of relief as he walked to his lair.

Just an hour or so later, the cameras onstage flipped on, as did the bright personality standing in front of them.

"Hello, all, and welcome to this week's episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" she smiled. "This week, we're discussing a shipping that I suppose came to fruition at one point… for a meaningless time. The player and the played are what we are discussing this week. Scourgamy, everyone. I mean… specific set of circumstances for this to be possible is my argument yet again. What if, one day, his heart grew a little warmer, and she had nowhere else to go? I'm not really sure of what happened the first time, but I suppose it ended the exact way everyone expected it to. As a joke. Today, we've got the usual two veterans to talk about this shipping. Everyone, please welcome back… Levi and Mercury!"

The audience exploded into applause, even more than last week, as the two regulars made their way to their seats.

"Welcome back, you guys!" said Rachel, taking her own seat. "…Is it snowing out there yet? The forecast said the first snow would happen tonight. And we'd get the most of it."

"I… wouldn't really call it snow," Mercury replied.

"There is a slight mist of sleet out there," Levi explained. "The snow is soon to follow."

"Neato," Rachel sighed. "Now, then… Let's go to you first, Levi. Scourge and Amy. Sweet or rotten?"

"I believe… it won't work," Levi explained. "That's been a common theme lately, but only because it's true. Scourge is not a nice guy. That's obvious. During the process of trying to sabotage the blue blur's social life and image… it would seem as if he hung out with many girls at once, Amy being in that bunch. I don't think she appreciated being used like that, or would appreciate it in the future. The only other time he somewhat interacted with her was when an all-hedgehog fight broke out. I don't think he's shown any genuine interest in her, anyway. Frankly, Amy, and absolutely anyone else, deserves much better than him."

"Mhm," Rachel nodded. "Mercury? How about you?"

"Actually… it could kinda work," said Mercury. "I mean, with Amy's crush on Sonic, wouldn't it be… kinda the same thing with Scourge? Since he's technically Sonic's evil version. Amy would just have to cope with his attitude… But then again, I think Amy's more into the hero-type than the bad type. It works, but… doesn't. It kinda works. It would all depend on how committed they are to their relationship, but you know Scourge. Commitment? What is that, Spanish?"

"Uh huh," said Rachel. "So we've actually got differing opinions this time. Is it a 'wait and see' type thing, do you think?"

"I think so," Mercury nodded.

"And so do I," said Rachel, standing up. "Well, that's it for this week's episode! Tune in next week when we address another unlikely! Well… in my opinion, anyway. The shipping of Knuckles and Shadow exists, and we will be addressing it! See you all then!"

The cameras flipped off, and Rachel headed backstage. Almost immediately, her eyes darted around the dark room for the show's head producer. Oddly, it was habit. An odd habit. Especially after the last week.

This time, however… she did not find him. She did find… first, anyway… a stage crew guy. Elektor had mentioned something about an intern, and this looked to be the guy. He was a grey wolf who still looked to be finding his way around the studio.

"Hey there!" she greeted him. "How are you getting along?"

"This is an amazing opportunity," the wolf smiled. "Only the second day… and I'm already meeting the hostess of the entire gig, too!"

"Hey, I don't bite," Rachel giggled. "…Until later. I never got your name, though."

"…Oh, me?" the wolf stuttered. "I-I'm Luke the Wolf!"

"You'll do great here, Luke," Rachel smiled. "…Say, have you seen Elektor around here anywhere?"

"He actually left right before the show ended," Luke explained. "I had to rush into his office and shut off our connection to the channel so that people won't just be looking upon a gray circle. Not sure."

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere… another voice spoke.

"He seemed to be in a hurry," the oh-so-familiar voice explained. "Maybe there was a family emergency?"

The thought of "Poor Elektor…" could only knock on the window of Rachel's mind. Oh, she recognized that voice. And oh, how she had longed to hear it.

And oh, how red her face became.

"…I-I'll see you around, Luke," Rachel murmured, watching as Luke skipped off with joy.

She took a few hesitant steps toward the corner of the room that the voice had come from. Over there was a curtain, where spare chairs and the like waited. She was just waiting to go over there, with her hopes so vulnerably high, only to discover that Elektor was holding false bait out in front of her ears.

Therefore, her heart stopped for a split second when the voice's true beholder walked out from behind the curtain. The cyan parts of his attire gave a faint glow as the result of the shadiness in the room. He had a sly smile on his face.

As was promised so long ago… Silver had dropped by for a visit.

Rachel was absolutely lost for words.

"…H-Hi!" she reacted, wondering if her growing excitement made her look absolutely stupid.

"Hi there!" Silver laughed in response.

They walked toward each other then. Rachel stopped, expecting that to be the end of the greeting.

However, she was quickly swept into clouds when she realized that he actually wanted a hug. And so, they hugged.

"How have you been?" asked Silver.

"I've been alright," Rachel replied.

"That's great!" said Silver, looking absolutely joyed by that response. "I've been alright, too. I'm real sorry it took me so long to come visit you."

"No, no, don't be sorry," said Rachel. "You're probably real busy!"

A standard greeting transitioned into a happy conversation. They sat down on the couches and spent nearly half an hour catching up. The entire time, Rachel hoped and hoped that it would never have to end.

"Are you one of those people that gets mad whenever someone gets excited for Christmas before Thanksgiving is over?" Rachel asked at one point.

"I wouldn't say mad," Silver replied. "I mean… there's Christmas commercials. There's not really anything you can do about that. I say… just say both! 'Happy Thanksgiving!' and 'Merry Christmas!'"

Eventually, though, there did come a time when Silver had to return home. He stood from his seat.

"I have to go now," he sighed. "I wish I didn't, though."

He looked genuinely sad for a second…

"…H-Hey," he continued. "Next time I can visit… Do you think you might want to grab some dinner with me?"

And there went Rachel's heart, stopping in its tracks again.

"I… I'd love to!" she smiled. "But wouldn't the media-"

"Ah, I'm used to it," Silver explained. "This kinda thing is what shippings are made out of. You deal with those every week."

"True," Rachel nodded.

"Besides, we'll probably have three journalists on our case at the most," said Silver. "The rest of them will be on Sonic's case. I guess people think he doesn't really care that he's losing fans."

"Oh, really?" Rachel asked, stifling a laugh.

"Poor guy can't take one step without having a microphone shoved in his face…" Silver chuckled. "So… that's a date, then?"

If only Rachel was stable enough to notice the hint of pink on his face.

"It's… It's a date, then!" she nodded.

"I'll see you then!" said Silver, heading toward the door.

"See ya!" Rachel waved.

Once the door opened and closed again, she kicked back against the arm of the couch she was on. She was positive that her arms were too jelly-like to lift something as simple as the phone. Dreams played out on the ceiling, each and every one too surreal to even believe in.

She was trying to find Elektor so that something like this could be set up for _Mercury_. It was going to be a constant plan in action, no matter what anyone said.

She didn't think she'd be taking the role of the surprised tonight.

*Outside*

So it had begun to snow for the first time this season. It was pretty, as Silver had come to notice of it every year.

Do double smiles exist, like double chins do? Only that would have done enough justice. Let the media folks report what they want of this!

* * *

 **Author's note: Sorry if this became too much about my OC. I can understand how people can get tired of all of the cheesy romance stuff. Overall, though… cheesy romance is what we do here!**

 **Author's note #2: Next week is Black Friday. This is your last chance to throw turkeys at those Santas. Starting next week, it'll be officially unethical.**


	22. Episode 21 (Knuckles x Shadow)

**Props: Thank yous go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "randomgal" (with the alter ego, the one known as "Guest"), and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. All of you are amazing people! So are all of you readers; you all are awesome, too!**

 **Explanation for why this is slightly late: I got a late start. That's it, in a nutshell.**

* * *

As Rachel walked into the studio, she saw Elektor in the corner and immediately stormed up to him.

"Dude…" she growled. "What the flying Chaos HAPPENED last week?! Our intern told me that he had to rush into your office and cut our signal just as the show ended because-"

" _It's complicated!_ " Elektor snapped in response.

Rachel, with her thinly-shelled feelings, actually took a step back in reaction.

"…Sorry…" Elektor sighed. "A lot of shit's been going on with… someone I was dear to a while back…"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rachel reacted.

"Love just seems to be in the air lately…" Elektor continued. "Is it the Christmas season, Rachel? Is that it?"

"I spoke with Mercury earlier… and that alone makes my answer to that question 'no,'" Rachel laughed. "I mean, _my_ heart is filled with sparkly joy this time of year, but… for some, it is, as Mercury described it, 'the Christmas apocalypse.' Depends; do you think you're a lighthearted person?"

"I… guess not," said Elektor. "It's just that all in a month, Mercury admits her love for Shadow… only a friendzone could destroy what you and Silver have going on…"

Friendzone. The only obstacle left…

"And… I-I think I've fallen back into love with this girl," Elektor admitted. It sounded shaky… like he had forced it from his brain to his throat…

"Woah, really?!" Rachel responded.

She checked her phone. She still had a quarter of an hour to tear this guy apart.

"What's she like?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Her name's Viola," Elektor began. "She's a hedgehog. She's into film editing. She and I have been in the same annual summer camp now for four years. She and I dated starting around the second year, but we broke up because I caught her making out with another guy. The guy I was working with on a project for the camp, as a matter of fact."

Poor Elektor looked like a vase being held together with Scotch tape.

"Don't say another word," Rachel snapped. "She cheated. That's where the line is drawn. There are several unforgiveable things in this world, and you've just caught one red-handed."

"But Rachel, I… she…" Elektor tried to continue. "…She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen…"

There it was. The shattering of the composure.

And so, that's the story of how the show's hostess and the show's producer ended up in a bear hug that even bears themselves would envy. Admittedly… Elektor, lowkey, cried kinda like a baby. The hug seemed to make him feel better, though. Rachel supposed that she just knew: Hugs make almost everything better. He must have been reliving that horrible moment, and for that, she felt like she'd just killed three children's dreams.

It was five minutes to the start of the show, and Elektor finally took a step back and pieced himself back together.

"I… really appreciate that," he said.

"That must've been something that tore your life apart by every little strand," Rachel replied. "Just… um… l-let me know if you need another hug, alright?"

"I'll be sure to remember that," Elektor nodded. "…Can we talk after the show? There's more to it, but the show starts in, like… now."

"Yep!" Rachel nodded, giving a thumbs-up before walking toward the stage.

Just five minutes later, the cameras flipped on, and so did the engagement of everyone around.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel smiled. "This week, we address Shaduckles, the one packing heat and the one packing a punch. And… can I fully admit something to you all? I guess… this is one of those shippings that's just like 'Well, they were bound to be paired together because everyone's paired with everyone.' And then, there's those that stick out to me. In short, I don't see this one happening. I mean, let me know if there's ever a time when Shadow gets stranded on Angel Island and gets sick, and Knuckles has to care for him. Alright? I mean, they seem like the type that could work together if the need were to rise, but it would never go beyond that. But my opinion alone will not push a mountain. I've got three guests with me today to help me out. They have all appeared on the show before. Please give a warm, snowy welcome to… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

Warm and snowy? Eh, close enough.

The two Thoughts of the Unknown veterans, and the veteran-in-training, made their way out to the stage and to the three seats that were reserved for them.

"Hi, guys!" Rachel waved, taking her own seat. "…Everyone, stash your turkeys away for next year. It is Black Friday. Christmas, and other such holidays, are now on their way. Including my birthday. Deal with it."

One guy from the crowd shouted "Woo!"

"Let's go to you first, Thorn," Rachel continued. "A match made on Angel Island?"

"Uh, no," Thorn replied. "There is little to no way that would work out. Knuckles gets mad over the smallest things, while Shadow is much more level-headed."

"Much more?" Rachel asked. "…You sure?"

There was a minute giggle that rose in Mercury's throat.

"Sure," Thorn nodded. "The relationship, I'd say, is more 'allies and nothing more' to me. Their personalities… would just jack it all up!"

"Makes sense," Rachel nodded. "…Levi. How about you?"

"Supposed sexual orientations aside," Levi began. "Let's see… This is interesting. Shadow and Knuckles are quite similar. Neither are very social or considered socially adequate, they aren't very touchy-feely, they both are sort of egotistical to different degrees… Both are rather aggressive and stubborn-"

As if to deliberately interrupt Levi… the entire studio almost did a 180. Something from outside, supposedly, rocked the entire place so that the lights were rocking back and forth, Rachel was almost knocked out of her seat, and the audience was in a straight panic.

"Is anyone hurt?" Rachel cried out.

Nobody was crying with all of their lungs, so… hmm…

"…Alright…" Rachel said. "We'll be back after our first commercial break ever!"

After the cameras were momentarily shut down, Rachel got up.

"You all stay here," she demanded of the three guests. "I wanna see what's going on."

All three of the guests nodded in agreement.

As Rachel rushed backstage and laid her hand on her coat, the entire studio rumbled once again. So much so that she soon found herself on the floor. As soon as everything was stable again, she put her coat on and rushed outside, finding that Elektor was already standing there and gazing, dumbfounded, at the sight before him. Soon, Rachel's jaw was slacked as well.

Well… for one thing, Knuckles's fist was still in the ground… which now had 2 prominent craters.

For the other thing, Shadow was standing over him, almost seeming to wonder what was going on himself.

He looked up and gave a quick glance to Elektor and Rachel before starting to scold Knuckles.

"What kind of idea did you think that was?!" he asked. "We gotta leave now!"

"I was just trying to find your precious DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald!" Knuckles scolded back. "And I thought, just as much as you did, that this place was abandoned!"

Sooner than Elektor and Rachel could blink, they were gone.

Soon enough, everything was back to normal… supposedly. Everyone was seated, and it turned out that nobody was hurt. Just rattled… and yeah, a couple of them felt a bit sick to their stomachs.

"A-Anyway…" Rachel chuckled.

"What WAS that?" asked Thorn.

"…Funny story," Rachel explained, fighting back laughter. "Knuckles and Shadow."

The entire studio exploded into laughter.

"They were trying to find a Chaos Emerald… Shadow's DAMN fourth one, to be exact," Rachel yelled over the crowd. "And Knuckles was pounding holes into the ground."

"Did they find it?!" asked Mercury.

"No, don't think so," Rachel replied. "They were gone before we knew it."

And thus, a smile was pasted on Mercury's face. That feeling when you've got a genius idea…

"Levi," said Rachel. "What were you saying before?"

"Where was I?" Levi continued. "Uh… I think I was saying that they're very similar. Anti-social, not touchy-feely, aggressive… And considering the fact that both are kind of egotistical and self-absorbed to certain degrees, they may very well butt heads. I believe they only worked, loosely, as allies a few times. They're… indirectly against each other. They don't talk much. Let's use your 'specific circumstances' argument. Specific circumstances would have to happen, and even then, a close friendship would be the most of it. As far as romance goes… it doesn't have much of a chance. Of course, I could be wrong. VERY specific circumstances could spawn a bit of love, but it's really rather unlikely."

"Uh huh," Rachel nodded. "That's… most of what I was thinking, too. Mercury? How about you?"

"Well… like I've probably said before," Mercury explained. "Shadow isn't the type of hedgehog to give a single poop about love and honestly, Knuckles probably doesn't care much, either. I mean, we can all agree that they do share some similarities, like how they're both aggressive, how they share connections to the Chaos Emeralds (Knuckles with the Master Emerald and Shadow with his powers), they're both very determined, and they're always up for a fight. As they have similarities, they also have differences. Knuckles has a short temper, which is the opposite of Shadow's calm level-headedness… but let's also not forget, Knuckles can be a bit more clumsy and gullible. I could go way on with this, but… am I getting off track? Would they work as a couple? Unless a lot of circumstances were met… no. You can look anywhere to that they would fight if the situation required them to. Overall, Knuckles and Shadow may be many things to each other, but romantic will likely never be added to that list. I give this my official rating of a big, fat, sloppy NEVER!"

"Never, it is, then!" Rachel replied. "I think so, too. It'd be interesting to see these two have to work together again, though. You all have made me realize just how similar they are…"

Many of the people in the studio nodded.

"Well," Rachel said, standing up. "All of you viewers were almost witnesses of a mass catastrophe." She looked up. "I think we'll need a few repairmen here, but whatever! Next week... Aw, sweet! One of my Sonic shippings!"

Meanwhile, a VERY confused Elektor sat backstage.

"Next week, we discuss Knuxouge!" Rachel beamed. "The pair of treasure hunters, both with very different life missions! See you then!"

Immediately after the cameras flipped off, Rachel walked backstage. At that moment, Elektor walked out from his office.

"Okay, a few things," he said as he approached her. "First off, during that little intermission where we were trying to settle things down… I just want you to know… your little guy friend called just to make sure everything was okay. And by that, I mean-"

"Silver?" Rachel gasped. "Aw… That's super sweet!"

"Isn't it?" Elektor replied. "Oh, speaking of which… I know you _technically_ announced the wrong shipping for next week, but… I think it's better that we keep it this way. If we were actually to go with… that… it'd be like pairing an abused kid with his attacker."

"Yeah, really," Rachel shuddered. "I practically froze up there. I was like 'Well, that's technically next, but… oh, it's so awful…'"

"I think you saved it," Elektor smiled.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded.

"I've already got some repairmen set up for tomorrow," Elektor continued. "They promise they'll have the place looking even better than it was even before the quake! Well, if fixing a couple of cracked beams will do that, then… more power to them!"

"Uh huh!" Rachel nodded.

There was a few seconds where they ended up just kinda… staring at each other.

"And there was… also that other thing…" Elektor sighed.

"I might know how it is," said Rachel. "You love someone when it's just not right."

"That's EXACTLY it!" Elektor agreed. "I keep telling myself 'She cheated on you! You can't go back!' But my heart's just being… M-My heart's being a little punk!"

"You might just need a bit of time," Rachel said. "Ooh, think of it this way! Picture her as a hooker off the street! She beckoned you, only to end up sleeping with other guys in the end. And she hates herself for it."

"You sure?" asked Elektor.

"Someone must have dropped her on her head," Rachel sighed. "I don't know what she was thinking just… deliberately shattering someone like you."

Elektor, despite Rachel's quick pause, couldn't say a word.

"She had the opportunity of a lifetime and tore it up like a gum wrapper," Rachel shrugged. "I hope she's happy with herself."

She walked away… leaving a dumbfounded Elektor to watch after her. He would definitely have to start thinking of it that way.

Well… it was a start.

* * *

 **Author's note: See… whenever I'm looking for the next shipping, and nobody suggested one, I just look through the newest Sonic fanfics and look for the first pairing in brackets that I haven't already done. The first one I came across was just… ugh… so I took the next one, which just so happened to be Knuckles and Rouge. This awful first shipping that I came across… was Silver and Mephiles. I dunno… If you guys would like an episode on it for the week after next, let me know, and I'll make it happen!**


	23. Episode 22 (Knuckles x Rouge)

**Props: Holy snow… I've got four guests this week. This is amazing! Thank you to ReenstheHedgehog2 (long time no see), the one known as "random gal," Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, and Oceanic Coral for your OCs and opinions. Oh, and thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for next week's topic. I can't ever thank you guys enough.**

 **Author's note: Whenever you suggest a shipping, it is guaranteed that it will be considered… but it is not guaranteed that it will be done. Just keep that in mind.**

* * *

Rachel cast the door to the studio aside, striding in and throwing her bag onto the nearest couch. Three minutes to showtime…

The night was still, because the snow from a couple of weeks back got bored and melted. She honestly kinda wished it'd return. The air was crisp… perfect for a bit of air surfing…

Suddenly, she noticed that Elektor was holding another eye-catching envelope in his hand. It took her back to another certain envelope. One that was apparently supposed to be delivered to the "light janitors."

So she strode up to him. He fully acknowledged her burning curiosity… with a smile of full devilish amusement.

"I won't pull your nose on this one," he smiled, on the brink of laughter. "It's another letter from Silver. Came this afternoon."

He held it up in the air, where he perfectly knew that she couldn't reach it.

"You ain't getting it until after you do the show, though," he chuckled. "Go on. Your audience is waiting."

So Rachel stomped away, a kid denied her favorite candy, and pouted "You meanie."

Onstage, the cameras flipped on, and so did the excitement.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to this holly jolly episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed. "This week, we're talking about a shipping that actually jumps out at me. Two treasure hunters, each walking their own paths. Whenever their paths intertwine, they refuse to do the same… but I believe that they secretly hold it as their one greatest wish. Knuckles and Rouge, everyone. Here to talk with me about them, I have four special guests. You heard me right. _Four._ The first three all have been appearing on the show regularly. Two of them are already official veterans, and one is really close to earning that title! Please welcome Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The three happy guests walked out to their seats.

"The fourth is someone that has appeared on the show before, but… it's been a while," said Rachel. "And we are super happy to welcome her back! Please give a warm welcome back… to Reens Maricina!"

Reens walked onstage, greeting the hearty applause of the audience with a smile and walking to her seat.

"It's so great to see you all here!" Rachel smiled, taking her own seat. "Let's start with Reens. Welcome back to the show!"

"Long time no see, huh?" Reens responded.

"I know, right?" said Rachel. "So… is THIS the match made on Angel Island?"

"Okay, so… Knuckles and Rouge…" Reens replied. "Heh heh. Those two fight like cats and dogs. I mean, sure, the Sonic X canon and the Archie comics seemed like they were foreshadowing a thing between them, but other than that… I'm not sure where this would go. Yeah, Knuckles has a pretty hot temper, while Rouge is a bit calmer… but she can get pretty steamed up, too! And also, the both of them being treasure hunters, every Emerald found would equal a squabble over who found it first and all that. The love triangle, too… between her, Knuckles, and Shadow? I feel like that'd get in the way, too."

"So you think there's actually a love triangle here?" Rachel inquired. "That's interesting. That's… one of the biggest mysteries out there. Alright… Levi! How about you?"

"Here's a pair that actually has a chance of working," Levi answered, more enthusiastic than usual. "They both work together when they need to, and are actually friendly with each other. But they're also rival treasure hunters, and argument ensues… The fact that they're both strong-willed Mobians makes it rough when they disagree. Rouge doesn't really strike me as the type of person to be… well… committed to a relationship. She doesn't really 'pick a side.' She really only works with someone if she'll get something really good out of it. Knuckles is the opposite. He's simply more committed with simpler motives. He and Rouge do have a connection, of sorts, but neither are really willing to try for anything more than they already have. A relationship could sprout of they really wanted, but I don't think it'd last for very long."

"Uh huh," Rachel nodded. "Interesting. Alright… Thorn! Your take?"

"This… is a maybe," Thorn explained. "They're both treasure hunters, but they're both… kinda… rivals. Sometimes, it seems like she'd truly interested, but… It's actually kinda confusing to me. It might work out, but it could also blow up in a bomb of Epic Failness."

"…Isn't that true for all relationships?" Rachel asked. "That last sentence? Huh. Anyway… Mercury! Your thoughts?"

"I actually kinda like this couple," said Mercury. "It, though, can really be described as a love-hate thing. One minute, they could be chucking knives at each other. The next, it could be mental kisses that they'd never admit out loud. Don't get me wrong, though. They can be friendly! Take Sonic's birthday party, for instance. Rouge would totally be the type to provoke Knuckles's hotheadedness, though. Even though she does tend to flirt with him at times…"

Mercury coughed. She muttered "The Ark…" Then, she coughed again.

"This relationship works, but… not that well, in contrast," she continued. "Now, don't get me wrong again, there is a weird charm to this couple. There is a thing going on in some places, and that's why people ship it. I, most definitely, kinda like it!"

…For obvious reasons?

"So, in general…" Rachel summarized. "…We are fully aware that Knuxouge is a possible thing."

"Pretty much," Reens stated.

"Alright, viewers…" Rachel announced, standing up. "I encourage you to keep that in mind as we move into next week. Our little Knuckles saga we've got going here continues. Next week, we will be addressing the shipping of Knuckles and Julie-Su. Let's see how the treasure hunter goes with this one. Next you see me, I shall be 17! See you all then!"

The cameras shut off, and everyone went their merry way.

Except for Mercury. Mercury walked right up to Rachel.

"First off… when's the birthday?" she asked.

"Wednesday," Rachel answered. "…I feel old…"

"Well, you can't vote yet!" Mercury consoled her. "There's that."

"There is that," Rachel nodded.

"And the other thing…" Mercury said timidly.

She reached into her pocket… and soon enough, a white Chaos Emerald glowed in her hands. As a result of this, Levi, Thorn, and Reens were all gathered around, just as mind-blown as Rachel was.

"Where did you find that?!" asked Reens.

"Incredible…" Levi marveled.

"This is Shadow's DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald," Mercury smiled. "They were way off track. It was actually wedged way down between the ground and the outside wall over by the back door. I mean… it was here. I'll give them that. Shadow'll come back here looking for it again. It'll be here, in my hand. My hand, for him to grab it from. It'll be great to meet ya, Shadow."

"Good luck!" Rachel smiled back, wondering whether to continue being excited for Mercury's plan… or sickeningly envious because Mercury had a dang CHAOS Emerald…

She walked up to Elektor, who was speaking with Luke. Still holding that letter.

"So you know where the emergency shut-off button is, right?" Elektor asked him. "Incase there's an emergency?"

"Under your desk, Mr. Elektor," Luke nodded. "I almost pressed that exact button a couple of weeks ago."

It was around Luke's "pressed" that Elektor noticed the visitor of the night behind him.

"Welp… here's your letter," Elektor smiled, placing said letter in her open hand. "I get to be a groomsman, alright?"

Hearing that actually kind of made her day. Is there such a thing as making a day on top of a day, though?

Had to be. Otherwise, there was no other explanation for the cloudy feeling in her head when she opened and read the letter.

"Dearest Rachel," it read. "Meet me at that café over by City Hall on Wednesday at 6pm. We're having that dinner I promised you, and I am so excited to get to see you again! And on your birthday, too!"

It might have been the shortest of the letters he'd sent her… but they'd do all their talking on Wednesday. All of that sweet, sweet conversation that played in her head to get her through the day.

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: …*cough* My birthday is actually on Wednesday. *cough* Thank you all for reading! I really appreciate it!**


	24. Episode 23 (Knuckles x Julie-su)

**Props: Thanks go out to the one known as "random gal", Wafflesbelike-NYAN CAT, and Oceanic Coral this week. Thank you all for your OCs and opinions. Also, thanks for the birthday wishes! My birthday time was awesome! But for my OC? Read on a bit!**

* * *

Rachel just couldn't help but smile when she opened the door to the studio. She was still getting over that trance of wanting to do a bunch of pirouettes in the middle of the room.

This is where it had all started. This is where it would never end.

Elektor, seeing her ridiculous smile and bursting out into a momentary fit of laughter, then said "Hey, smiley. Lovey-dovey-"

"17-year-old… bewitched in a good way… Shut up," Rachel replied. "But yeah, I am smiley!"

With anticipation, Elektor glanced back at the clock to see that Rachel had arrived 45 minutes early. Coincidence? He thought not.

"Sit," he demanded, pointing to one of the couches. "Speak."

So they sat across from each other on said couch. Elektor stared her down like a hawk.

"Well… it was amazing, to say the absolute least," Rachel explained, not being able to control that big smile. "So he was there at the door, excitedly looking back and forth, and when he saw me, he just got this most adorable smile on his face!"

Elektor laughed again.

"Hey, let me finish!" Rachel giggled. "So we found a table and ordered our food. You know that Nahrung Café place downtown? They have amazing hot dogs."

"They do," Elektor agreed. "That's usually where I get my dinner before coming here. Either there or Wendy's."

"So while we waited for our food, he started with the question of what my hobbies were," Rachel continued. "As soon as I said 'video games,' he seemed to get all excited. After I asked what for, he just blushed a bit and handed me the present he'd been holding in his hand. So I opened it, and…"

She reached into her pocket, pulling out a plushie that looked exactly like a baby cow from Minecraft. She then hugged it, feeling even more happy. Feeling a presence.

"He got me a Minecraft cow!" she said. "To him, nothing else met his 'adorableness criteria.' Then after that, we got our food. I got a hot dog meal, and he got a slice of pizza and some spaghetti-"

"Hold the front door," Elektor interrupted. "SPAGHETTI?! If he pulled the Lady and the Tramp thing, I am going to melt where I sit."

"No," Rachel sighed. "I mean… he offered me the end of a noodle, but I got the whole noodle."

"What you meant to say is that it slipped out of his hand before he could get the other end," said Elektor. "…Right?"

Rachel could only laugh.

"Anyone can dream, right?" she then shrugged, tacking that image to the right time slot. "We just got into this nerdy conversation about video games for the rest of the time. We were just so joyful and excited! We never got bored! In fact, we were probably there for almost an hour after we'd thrown our food away. We only left after Silver got the text from Espio that he needed some help with his car."

"So Espio's the mood-killer," said Elektor. "That should be a crime."

"It should," Rachel nodded without thinking. "…So we walked out. I had gotten my phone out, and he just swiped it from my hand! So I looked to see what he was doing, and he was in the Contacts app, placing his number there. So I did the same to him by withdrawing his phone from his coat pocket."

"How smooth…" Elektor said to himself.

"We both agreed that while the letters were sweet, the suspense between receiving them was insanity-inducing," said Rachel. "Then, before going our separate ways, we shared this really warm bear hug."

"So now," Elektor concluded. "You're _always_ gonna be staring at your phone like a little schoolgirl looking at Edward Cullen."

"More like Nick Jonas," Rachel corrected. "I think Edward's obsolete now. And this cow is my lucky charm. You'll be seeing a lot of it."

About half an hour later, the cameras flipped on, along with a personality with much more joy lying beneath the surface.

"Hello, all you beautiful people, and welcome to this week's episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel announced. "This week… It's come to my attention that this shipping has actually come to fruition at some point. We're discussing the shipping of Knuckles and Julie-Su. I can't say much since I, admittedly, do not know this Julie-Su. Our three guests do, though! Please welcome back our three beloved veterans… Levi, Thorn, and Mercury!"

The studio exploded into applause as Levi, Thorn, and Mercury welcomed the crowd with eager eyes as they found their seats.

"Welcome back, you guys," Rachel beamed, finding her own seat. "So… I'm hoping you three know a bit more than I do here. Levi… Are Knuckles and Julie-Su the actual match made on Angel Island?"

"Aren't they soulmates or something?" Levi asked. "I don't know how that stuff actually works. These two are alike personality-wise. Compared to Rouge, Julie-Su is more alike to Knuckles. The relationship is pretty much official. Therefore, there is not much else to say."

"So they're _still_ a thing, you say?" Rachel asked, honestly a bit surprised. "Mercury? How about you?"

"I know they have a romance and all," Mercury explained. "But personally… I've never liked it. I feel as if Julie-Su showed up just to be Knux's interest, of sorts, and while I do know that they started off as enemies, they then had a friendship, and BOOM! Kisses and pixie dust everywhere. I will admit that while I do find their relationship story 'cute', that's really about it. After all, Julie-Su did think that Knuckles made her feel like much more than just a soldier. She's also loyal by standing by him through every challenge. That's really freaking sweet. Rouge and Julie-Su did become rivals… I wonder why… but Knuckles told Rouge, straight-up, that Julie-Su is the only girl he'll ever fall for. Ouch… Well, it shows that they're loyal to each other. I respect that. With all of that said, I do totally respect this couple, but I don't… _like_ it. Catch my drift? I'm okay with others liking it, of course, but for me, the guardian and soldier are just… meh."

"I see what you're getting at," Rachel nodded. "And I completely get it. Thorn, how about you?"

"Knux and 'Su…" said Thorn. "A pretty good couple, if you ask me. Though, weren't all the echidna's thrown into the special zone by Thrash the Tasmanian Devil? Well, at least I thought they were… Anyway, I think this has a good chance of working out. They both have their differences, but still…"

"…There's a Tasmanian Devil involved in this?" Rachel asked, perfectly aware of the invisible sign she wore that said "I'm stupid."

"You're clueless, aren't you?" asked Mercury.

"Hey, I don't read the comics," Rachel shrugged. "But I should. I fully know that."

She stood.

"Well, that's it for this week's episode," she announced. "Tune in next time! Next week, we'll be discussing… Huh. This one intrigues me. I don't believe we've done Shadally yet! Shadow, the anti-hero who can choose whatever path he damn well wishes, and Sally, the royalty! I will see you all then!"

The cameras flipped off, and everyone went on their merry way.

Mercury, though, immediately walked up to Rachel.

"So… I heard," she smiled. "You. Silver. Wednesday."

"Agh, it's all over the news, isn't it?" Rachel sighed.

"Not all over, but… some places," Mercury shrugged. "Just tell him… He's an awesome hedgehog for making you feel special on your birthday."

"I'll tell him that," Rachel nodded happily.

"Welp," said Mercury, reaching into her pocket, which glowed a bit. "I'll be… places. See ya!"

"Bye!" Rachel waved.

She took out her phone exactly to relay Mercury's message. He deserved this and lots more.

*Outside*

Somehow, Mercury just knew. She sat atop the roof of the studio, feeling the stars asking their little questions.

Somehow, she knew he'd be back. Somehow, she knew that it was him, and him alone, stomping along the property and staring every little blade of grass down.

When she felt it to be a good time, she giggled a bit to herself.

"Looking for this?" she asked, holding the Emerald up.

Those crimson eyes looked up to stare at her, and she felt even higher than she already was.

"Listen…" Shadow sighed. "Give me the Emerald."

"…Alright," Mercury sighed back, hopping down from the roof and nailing a perfect landing. "Your little friend was pounding the ground in all the wrong places. It was right here."

She pointed to the little crevice that sat where the Emerald once was.

"…H-He can be really stupid," shrugged Shadow, snatching the Emerald from Mercury's hand. "I'm not even kidding."

At that, he walked away… but not before stopping and turning around to get one more solid look at the girl. The girl with the Emerald. It'd be neat if an actual name was in that spot…


	25. Episode 24 (Shadow x Sally)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for your OCs and opinions.**

 **Author's note: You know, I just realized that Christmas is literally next week. Just keep in mind that most likely, I WILL have an episode on that merry night! You all hold more awesomeness than can be seen by the naked eye… and dinner is usually earlier during those holidays…**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" beamed Rachel, the TV show's hostess, as she went live. "This week, we're discussing the shipping of the anti-hero and the royalty. Shadow and Sally, everyone. I'm not really sure what to say on this one. I feel like… if Sally actually has a thing for Sonic, this is something that would instantly run out of fuel where it sat. It's a more flexible "specific circumstances required" thing, I think. Maybe if a set plot played out, they could start seeing a bit of magic in each other's eyes. At the same time, though… why do I think they'd _look_ really cute together? I dunno. I wish I knew Sally better. Or do I? Do I? Urgh… Welp, I'm gonna get my three special veterans out here to help me out. Everyone, please welcome back… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The three figures, dancing to the beat of the raving applause from the crowd, found their ways to their seats. All three of them, even Levi, found them in one fluid motion, picturing them as specifically-engraved thrones.

"Hi, guys!" Rachel smiled, finding her own seat. "…This part of Mobius is strange. One day, I walk out of my house with nothing more than a T-shirt and I'm actually a bit heated. Now… I think my nose is still red…"

"Surprised more people don't get stopped on suspicion of smoking weed this time of year," Thorn added. "What with how thick our breath is."

"Yeah, really!" Rachel agreed. "So, Thorn… How does your mind feel about the shade and the queen uniting as one beating heart?"

"Well, Shadow is a Black Arms-hedgehog hybrid from outer space, created by Professor Gerald Robotnik to help heal Maria Robotnik," Thorn explained. "Sally is a royal chipmunk-squirrel hybrid who is leader of the Freedom Fighters… Next in line for ruler… I'm not sure, but still, this is gonna be interesting. In certain circumstances, it might work out. Keyword MIGHT. But it could… and I have an odd feeling it would… end up in a bomb of Epic Failure."

"So it could go either way!" Rachel nodded. "Levi, would you agree with this?"

"Shadow and Sally?" Levi replied. "That… never really crossed my mind. Ever. For some reason, I feel that Sally really wouldn't get along with someone like Shadow. I'm not sure what it is. His attitude toward most things may rub her the wrong way. Maybe that's it… Sally is more of a take-charge person, and Shadow's arrogance and bullheadedness _might_ not agree with that. Neither of them, though, are above putting aside disagreements and conflicts to get a job done. They could become good allies, should they ever meet and know each other… but that's it. My thoughts do not reach beyond that."

"So friendship is still completely on the table," said Rachel. "You never know with these things. I do see what you're saying, though; sometimes, the friendship card is the last one you need to get that winning hand in life. Mercury… what are your thoughts on all of this?"

Yes, Mercury… How did it feel to see your special one be paired with a half-nude princess?

"Hmm…" Mercury responded. "Do they really interact that much? They're quite an interesting pairing, but I don't know. I mean, I think Shadow would kinda see a bit of charm in her bravery and determination, but I don't think he'd dig how opinionated she is… And even still, Shadow is _still_ not the type to be caught up in a whirlwind of love. And Sally's got her eyes turned to Sonic anyway. To be honest, I really can't set an opinion with this one."

"I think you've spoken for all of us there," said Rachel.

"I'm not sure if Sally and Shadow have interacted more in the past," Mercury continued. "But as of right now… I don't think they have. Who knows? Maybe Sally's not into bad boys."

"Again…" Rachel concluded. "I think you've spoken for all of us when you say that you really can't draw an opinion."

Levi and Thorn nodded.

"Well, that's it for this week," said Rachel, getting up from her seat. "…And next week is FREAKIN' CHRISTMAS! Don't be surprised if I go on the air with a bit of pumpkin pie on my shirt. Join us for our Christmas episode when we sit down, around a fake open fire, roasting fake chestnuts and the like, whilst we discuss the shipping of…"

One snicker escaped from her face.

"Another crack shipping, as I like to call it," she explained. "The anti-hero continues his saga on the show for next week… when we discuss how he has been paired with the golden-hearted time traveler. Shadilver, everyone. Shadow and Silver. Keep open minds, and I'll see you all on Christmas Night!"

The cameras flipped off, and she snickered a bit more as she headed for backstage.

However, she was stopped by a sharp call.

"'Ey!" came from Mercury, who was still sitting in her chair.

"…Yep?" Rachel responded, turning around and walking over to her.

"What do you want most for Christmas?" Mercury asked.

"…I've got a couple of things in mind… and one is going to sound cheesy as hell…" Rachel laughed.

"On of 'em is Silver, isn't it?" Mercury laughed back.

"I've just established a friendship with the man, I know!" said Rachel. "But… I mean… I've got a crush on him! Whaddaya expect?"

"True that," Mercury nodded, completely knowing the feeling. "What was the other thing?"

"…A huge gift card to GameStop," Rachel said. "Just… so I can go nuts, you know?"

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion #1: I'd like to thank Oceanic Coral for bringing up a little thing called "Reader's Casual Discussion." Well… you asked, and you got my OC's answer. My answer? Uh… Huh… Probably a Wii U. I realized that I'd be super excited if I found that under some wrapping paper next week. So now, I give the same question to all of you readers. What do YOU want the most for Christmas? Or Hanukkah? What do you want most for the holidays?**

 **Author's casual discussion #2: And… I mean, it would be cool if the Sonic universe was real, right? I get this image sometimes of… well… What if one school was just suddenly filled with the fictional characters that each of its students was in love with? How would you feel if you just walked in to find your fictional special one awaiting you right beside your seat?**


	26. Episode 25 (Shadow x Silver)

**Props: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL YOUR SOULS! Oh, and thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. Is it just me, or is the order in which you guys review tending to be the same each week? Might just be me…**

 **Author's note: Thank you, the one known as "random gal" for reviewing, though! I hope you, and everyone else who's reading, has the holiday of their lives!**

* * *

As the cameras flipped on, the personality in front of them… She actually fought the urge to giggle. She was just remembering the text she'd gotten from Silver after the previous week's show. "And so, I emerge in the spotlight again," it had read. "I'm really interested to see how this one turns out! XD"

And so, she was here to make sure it did, indeed, turn out.

"Hello, you merry folks out there, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" she announced. "Merry Christmas, to those who celebrate it! Are you just watching this because you're an introvert and you're done with your Christmas feasting, so you need something to do? Oh, how often I've been there. This week, we're discussing the shipping of a brooding anti-hero and a happy complete hero. Shadow and Silver, everyone." She giggled a bit. "I have to admit… while I doubt they'd ever actually love each other like that… they're already friends. Silver is one of the few that Shadow can tolerate, isn't he? Their personalities and the way they conflict could cause the occasional huge argument, though, I suppose. The "opposites attract" theory doesn't really work here, either. Uh… Alright… I tag this one possible under the event of extremely specific circumstances. Not sure what else to say. We have two of our usual veterans here to discuss this. Please welcome, with the warmest applause… Mercury and Thorn!"

Said two guests found their seats in one surprisingly fluid motion.

"Levi has stated that he will be absent for the holiday," Rachel explained. "We hope the day is beautiful for him and every one of you out there. So… Thorn? These two… Star struck fighters or just the duo of pals that Shadow can actually stand to be a part of?"

"Personally, I like this shipping," Thorn said. "But… despite that, I have to think realistically. When I do that…"

She mimicked an explosion.

"Just no," she continued. "With Shadow's dark, brooding 'life is a living h-word' attitude, and Silver's naïve, cheery 'gotta save the world' attitude, there is practically no chance of this working out… Besides, I'm pretty sure Shadow is somewhat immortal so he'd most likely outlive Silver and everybody else… I rest my case…"

"Case considered," Rachel nodded. "Alright… Mercury? What does your intuition say about this shipping's power level?"

"It's… under 9000," said Mercury. "I do believe that Shadow and Silver do have mutual respect for each other and that they consider each other worthy opponents… and that they can both tolerate each other… but that's it. I highly doubt they would work as a relationship, mostly due to the fact that Shads is a loner, very serious, and violent… in some cases… where Silv is optimistic, naïve, and courageous. So their personalities would clash in many ways. They totally do respect each other, but that respect won't mold into love."

"So general consensus," Rachel said. "They are definitely friends… but no more than that."

"Yup," Thorn nodded.

"And that's where we end the discussion," said Rachel, standing up. "…It wasn't until I walked in here that I realized that this is the last episode of 2015."

A light batch of gasps erupted from around the studio.

"So we'll see you all here on the first day of 2016, throwing your resolutions in the trash with that bag of Doritos," she announced. "In 2016, we'll be… climbing our way into new territory! I say, anyway. Next week, we discuss the shipping of Knuckles and Sticks! I… don't know what these two are like in the Sonic Boom universe. Curse me."

And so, the cameras flipped off. People were making their way to the door much faster than usual. Well, there was this little thing called a "family" assigned to each and every one of them. Rachel had a small one, composed of a sibling and his friend, a sister-in-law, an aunt, an uncle, a niece, and a mother entirely. All probably curled up and watching a movie on Netflix with _her_ Wii. And two dogs who she worried would chill the night away.

She was almost blinded with various little images that tried to answer her next question: How was Silver doing right about now? Did he have a family? Was he having dinner with a family and laughing the night away? Was he maybe… taking a sleigh ride or…

"So…" said Mercury as she walked up to Rachel. "What did ya get?"

"Nothing much," Rachel shrugged. "…Except a 38 inch flatscreen!"

"Wait… you're serious?" Mercury reacted.

"Yep," Rachel laughed. "It looks really nice in my room. Gaming leveled up a notch. Now all I need is a Wii U…"

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: More thanks to Oceanic Coral for yet another "reader's casual discussion"! My answer is yes. Yes, I do believe. I always download a Santa tracker on my phone and make sure to be asleep the moment he hits the United States! …Oh, the question? The very one I want to ask all of you readers: Do you still believe in Santa?**


	27. Episode 26 (Knuckles x Sticks)

**Props: This week, I have to thank Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. Additional thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for suggesting shippings. There's some searching that's lifted off my back! Welp… *holds up wine glass* Cheers to the hopes that 2016 is a super mega fun year for us all, and everyone else out there.**

* * *

Rachel, not really seeing much to the buildings and whatnot that were _finally_ caked with snow again, went ahead and decided to head to the studio an hour early. She flopped on a couch and held her phone above her face, waiting for Silver's next response.

Ironically enough, the very thing that was rotting her spirits from the inside out had to do with the man. It wasn't anything that he had done personally. In fact, it was just a sneaky little jerk called "jealousy" popping its head into the picture. Ugh, wasn't there a pill she could take for this? It was just the insanely popular shipping of him and the feline princess. That was all! Why was it getting to her head like this?!

She occasionally looked at the door, hoping that Elektor would make it here as well. He was _always_ here before her, wasn't he? Practically nobody but a stage crew person here and there was present at the moment.

After what seemed like ages, her phone buzzed again with Silver's next response.

"Oh, for New Year's Eve?" he responded. "We were supposed to go to a party that Rouge was throwing, but she got both sick and in trouble with the law at the same time. So Shadow, Blaze, and I went to Blaze's place to watch that special they always have from New York on TV."

She texted back "Oh, really? Still sounds like fun… being with your friends and all…"

When midnight struck and rung in the first day of 2016, not a sound in Rachel's house was made but a timid "Yay…"

She looked at the clock. Almost 8 now. Elektor would be walking in the door at any minute, and she was just tired of staying in that same place. She put her phone in her pocket and walked onstage.

Shucks. The place looked spotless. The self-proclaimed liaison for the place, Elektor, had made sure to hire two of the most expensive janitors in the local area. So much for picking up a broom and getting rid of any sort of dust; there was none to be inhaled.

Just as she was craning her head up to the corner of the room, where a green hedgehog was wiping residue off of one of the lights, her pocket rattled her. It almost stopped her poor little heart. So she reached into it and withdrew her phone to see that Silver had texted back.

"That party would have been awesome, though!" the text read. " _Everyone_ would have been there, and… it would have been fun! I promise you!"

Rachel replied "Those parties always look like fun!"

She heard the door open from a distance behind her and went to walk over there… when almost instantly, her phone buzzed again.

Silver had replied "I would have been able to invite you, too. That'd have been amazing."

Feeling as if someone had set fire to her face, Rachel texted back "You'd… really invite me?! I'm not as famous as you all!"

Right as she put her phone away again, Elektor walked up to her. So it was him that had come in from the cold…

"Hey!" he said. "So… can I get your opinion on something?"

"By all means!" she nodded.

"I've always wondered if maybe someday… we'd do better with a different studio," Elektor explained. "I dunno… the place just feels kinda-"

At that moment, Rachel's phone buzzed again. Elektor paused specifically to let it get its word in. Instinctively, Rachel went to put her hand on it.

"'Ey, look at me when I'm talking to you!" Elektor laughed.

"Fine," Rachel pouted. "I mean… I like this place. The stage is grand, and we've honestly got a rocking backstage area going here!"

"Alright, if you say so," Elektor shrugged.

He walked away, and Rachel was finally able to take out her phone.

"It would have been awesome!" Silver had replied. "Oh, and Shadow mentioned meeting a girl. On top of that, I think it's one of those that stars on the show each week!"

"Oh, really?" Rachel texted back, laughing. "What did he say?" The moment instantly had the intensity of when a bouquet is thrown at a wedding. Mercury's incoming wedding.

Silver soon texted back "I asked him if anything was new, and he told me 'I met this girl. She was a hedgehog with dark pink fur, and she had an Emerald I was looking for.' His face flushed slightly in the process."

By all luck… that was Mercury.

Later, the cameras flipped on, and so did the personality in front of them.

"Merry freakin' 2016, all!" Rachel beamed. "This first week of the year, we're addressing the shipping of the Master Emerald's guardian and the newest, craziest addition to the Sonic cast. Knuckles and Sticks, everyone. Now, I preface this by saying that I KNOW I really need to see the show. I don't have Netflix or cable TV, so… it's not the easiest feat in the world. I've been told that its humor isn't that great… but I SHOULD be talking about the shipping. Really, I'm just wondering why this one just looks so harmonious to me. I'm not really sure what it is, but… somehow, I could see it happening. Our three veterans probably know more than I do, though. Please welcome back to the show… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

Mercury and Thorn skipped onstage and found their seats quickly, Levi following behind with his usual shyly happy demeanor.

"Now, then…" Rachel said, finding her own seat. "I hope everyone's New Year's was awesome."

"Mine was pretty cool," Mercury replied. "Nothin' too fancy, but still pretty neat."

"Great!" Rachel smiled. "So, Mercury… Knuckles and Sticks. Making the heart boom like a stereo, or just flat-out heartbreaking?"

"…Well, I might be crazy for saying this," Mercury replied. "But I find a fun charm to this couple."

Fun charm! That's the phrase Rachel was looking for!

"Not saying I think this couple would ever even happen," said Mercury. "But I'd like to think it'd work out! I mean, Knuckles's… er… dumb personality and Sticks's kinda wild personality could lead to a lot of crazy things. Though it would be weird seeing them date as Knuckles is super tall-"

Interrupting Mercury, someone from the audience shouted "Hey, what's up with that, anyway? I wanna know his secret!"

"It's a mystery," Rachel said back, shrugging.

"…And Sticks is the second shortest, I think," Mercury huffed. "So I personally like this couple. Do I ever think it's going to happen? Most likely… probably… no. But the thought is nice."

"So you also think something stands out about them!" Rachel replied. "Yeah, it's… weird, but I like this! Alright, Levi! What are your thoughts?"

"How did those two ever get paired up?" Levi replied. "Odd. I can't think of much to say about them as a potential couple or anything otherwise. They're obviously friends right now, but I feel like anything beyond that would just be a complete joke. Not to put down any Knuckicks supporters or anything, but… it would just look to be a joke to me. I never really looked too much into the Sonic Boom universe either, so there isn't much for me to analyze accurately."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "So you don't see it. Alright… Thorn! What do you think?"

"Well… I didn't expect this," Thorn replied. "Knux and Sticks together. Wouldn't that be something? Well… there's an iffy chance, in my opinion, that it would work out. Sticks is crazy and paranoid as the Mad Hatter, while Knux is very dim… Maybe in certain circumstances, it'll work out, but I don't have much faith with this…"

"Huh," said Rachel. "So we're split. This isn't very definitely possible or impossible, isn't it?"

The other guests nodded, in full agreement.

"Does anyone here actually watch the show?" Rachel asked, directing it toward the entire population of the studio. "Keep tabs on those two. If they do anything fluffy, keep me updated!"

She stood.

"And that, folks, is the end for this week!" she announced. "I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be back in school next week. Not the college part, but the high school part that involves me waking up at 6 in the morning. At least I go home after lunch for the first week! Freaking winter break… I can't even fall asleep until 2am anymore! Anyway… next week…"

She laughed.

"Another shipping from the Sonic Boom universe!" she said. "Apparently, Shadicks… Shadow and Sticks… is a thing. We talk it! I'll see you all then!"

As soon as she was sure that the cameras were shut off, she turned around and walked toward Mercury, tossing her microphone down on her chair.

"…Oh, hey!" Mercury greeted Rachel. "How was your New Year's Eve?"

"Mine could have been better," Rachel replied hurriedly. "Silver's was awesome. But… just…"

She reached into her pocket, got out her phone, and scrolled down to Silver's most recent text. Then, the phone was soon in Mercury's face.

"Read it and weep," Rachel smiled. "Weep as happily as you would if you were being proposed to, because that's not far off. I think you've done it."

* * *

 **Author's note #1: Welp… Oceanic Coral can be thanked for yet another Reader's Casual Discussion! The question to me, and ultimately our question to all of you, is this: What did you do to celebrate New Year's? Me? I tried to invite a friend over, but just sat in front of a TV with my mother and my half-brother's father. It… could have been better.**

 **Author's note #2: *cough* Tomorrow's the official 2-year anniversary of when I joined Fanfiction! *cough* This is not closed to newcomers. If you've had the burning desire to join in on the fun, but weren't sure... Newcomers are welcomed!**


	28. Episode 27 (Shadow x Sticks)

**Props: Thanks to Oceanic Coral for the OC and opinion. It means… literally everything.**

* * *

Elektor had let his guard down again as he plucked away at business emails. He'd lowered his shield in thinking that this was just going to be another Friday night.

As soon as he hit the Send button on that final reply, he looked at his phone. He'd forgotten to delete the notification for Rachel's last text, which read "Only Mercury? Well… some people have midterm exams, I think…"

Then, his eyes slid down to the final of four names on his contacts list. To all else, it was the name of an elegant instrument.

But he took it off of the list, leaving only those who meant a shred of the world to him existing. Because to him… the name Viola meant blood that bled from the so vulnerable muscle in his chest.

And suddenly, the pain was gone!

Therefore, he was extra dedicated to his job as the producer. He was on top of everything; not one camera transition was a sliver off.

And as the cameras flipped on to reveal the show's shining hostess… he smiled. He felt a bit of color in his chest. This was a great night!

"Hello, all you beautiful people, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel the Fox said. "This week, we're bringing the badger back into the topic, but this time, she's paired up with someone… just a bit more unlikely. The anti-hero and the badger. Shadow and Sticks… or as our guest has determined it, Shadicks."

She snickered.

"Really rolls off of the tongue, doesn't it?" she giggled.

Suddenly, someone from the audience… who more than likely wore shades and had driven here in a Lamborghini… shouted "That's what he said!"

The audience suddenly burst out into laughter. And with a laughter-stained smirk, Rachel's hand collided with her forehead with the velocity of a thousand suns.

Then, she put her fist in the air, shouting "Why don't we make ALL the euphemisms tonight? Because why the duck not?"

The laughter slowly, but surely, died down a bit.

"Shadow and Sticks," she continued. "…I'd have to see the show to say for sure. I'm not necessarily sure what Shadow is like in Sonic Boom. If I knew, I'd be able to give a solid conclusion. But as it stands… For some reason, I feel like Sticks would, at one point or another, remind him of Maria. That always turns out nicely, doesn't it? Well… I've only got one of our veterans with me tonight, but I'm pretty sure she could back this up better than I could. You'll also notice that she looks a tad different. Please welcome back to the show… Mercury!"

Mercury emerged from backstage, almost in a dramatic fashion, showing off just what was so new about her. Her fur was now a chestnut color (what Mercury had described as Crayola's version of chestnut), and what was once military green on her attire was now dark purple. Many seemed marveled by the change, including several young women in the audience who wondered how it was done.

"Hi, Mercury!" said Rachel, taking her seat. "You're rocking that new look quite well! Tell us, for the sake of any curious fashionistas that are out there: How did you manage to dye your entire body a different color?"

"It's not an easy process," Mercury sighed, taking the other seat. "It's like dying your hair… but you comb the dye through all the hairs in your body. It's exactly as you'd think."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "So… Shadicks."

She, Mercury, and a lot of the audience giggled again.

"Is it…" Rachel said, wheezing a bit with laughter. "…Is there any chance here, or is it… bone dry?"

The audience roared with laughter again. Several of them were close to blowing their lungs out of proportion.

"Wow…" Mercury replied. "Shadow and Sticks… I kinda like this couple… but at the same time, I will certainly never fangirl over it. I dunno what it is, though. Is it the Boom universe, Sticks… What is it, dammit?! I mean, I know this couple will never work out. I don't know why, but I enjoy it for some gosh damn reason! Maybe it's because they would look good together? Or is it their differences and how it would work with the 'opposites attract' theory? I mean, with Sticks's good and Shadow's… uh… kinda evil, or anti-hero… sort of… Dangit, what even is Shadow?"

Some of the audience laughed.

"I really can't explain it," she continued. "It's just so weird. Maybe it's because anything goes in the Boom universe! I really don't know! And as far as I know, Shadow and Sticks have only interacted once, and that's when Shadow was released from his mind control. I… dunno… Maybe it's all in the freaking name."

She took a big breath.

"Shadicks, everyone," she announced. "Shadicks!"

The audience chortled yet again.

Between her own wheezes of laughter, Rachel added "I could just imagine if they ever got married… and the pastor is like 'I now pronounce you two… Shadicks. How much of the audience do you think would end up on the floor in their laughter?"

She stood.

"On that amazing note," she smiled. "That's it for this week! Tune in next week when we discuss another crack shipping! The one who flies against the ground with his skill, and the one who flies above the ground with his own skill. Sonilver, everyone. Sonic and Silver. I'll see you all then!"

Meanwhile, Elektor, shutting off the show's connection to television, leaned back in his chair and took the final breaths that finally had him recovered from his own laughing fit.

Still smiling like an absolute lunatic, he got up and left the room.

* * *

 **Author's note: Also thank Oceanic Coral for another Reader's Casual Discussion! The question this time? How did you discover Sonic and his fanbase? My answer to this one is this: It was a little over three years ago for me. I'm not really sure how, but it suddenly caught my attention. I think it really came about due to quizzes online (anyone remember when Quizilla was a thing? I… kinda miss it, to be honest…), and that turned into my first fanfic, which turned into me playing the Mario and Sonic series more for Team Sonic than for Team Mario... and everything blossomed exponentially from there.**

 **Question to Oceanic Coral: You recalled a specific moment from Sonic Boom in your opinion, and I have to wonder: Do you actually watch the show? If so… how do you do it?**


	29. Episode 28 (Sonic x Silver)

**Props: Thank you, Wafflebelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for your OCs and opinions! And hey… I see that some of you are being hassled with school, and I COMPLETELY understand. It's all good! Sometimes, school comes first!**

* * *

As the studio's cameras flipped on, so did every soul on set.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel the Fox smiled. "…Winter finally showed up. I didn't have to go to school on Tuesday!"

Some in the audience groaned at the mere mention of this sickly, demented force called "snow."

"This week… we discuss another one of those shippings that I feel was just two people tossed into a room," she continued. "Sonic and Silver. Now… I-I mean… from a realistic standpoint, it's probably impossible. I could understand why they are perfectly able to get annoyed with each other. One time that they met, one of the first things Sonic noticed was Silver's 'attitude,' if I'm correct. I… really don't have much to say this time. I deem this one 'possible under extremely specific circumstances.' But that's just me. This week, we finally have all three of our veterans back! I was right; school and midterm exams are really a pain in the crack, huh? Let's bring them out here! Enter Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The three guests looked like a perfectly symmetrical design as they came onstage and found their seats.

"Welcome back, you guys!" Rachel beamed, finding her own seat. "School, huh?"

"Yeah, really," Mercury groaned. "Work… tests… gross."

"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "I have to admit, I could stand to do a bit of studying for once."

"For once?!" Levi exclaimed. "I express my sorrow to your grades."

"Actually, they're straight A's for this quarter!" Rachel bragged. "In one, I've got over 100%! B-But anyway… Sonic and Silver… Are they 100% in love or no? For that is the question."

Thorn jumped in and replied "This is actually one of my favorite pairings. With Silver's personality and Sonic's personality, it would really be something. Sadly, I don't think it would really work out. Also taking in that Sonic would be somewhat 200 years older than Silver… I don't have much else to say…"

"Way to be your own dream crusher," said Rachel. "Levi? Your thoughts?"

"Personality-wise," Levi explained. "…I believe these two would actually get along quite well. I'm just leaning more toward friendship simply because both seem a bit too immature for a… relationship. They didn't have a great first meeting, either. But they don't even remember that. Well, there were other events… They have met each other, right? I'm not sure where they stand presently."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "Mercury?"

"Sonic and Silver…" Mercury replied. "It could work… kinda. They seem like really good friends, to the point where Silver would actually challenge Sonic to a friendly fight and be enthusiastic about it. But as a couple… well… kinda. They both are the type to be super optimistic and try their best to correct things… or something like that. But then again, considering how kinda immature both hedgies are, it _could_ work. 'Maybe' is all I can say."

"So in conclusion," said Rachel. "…Possibly. Not likely, but by some chance… maybe."

"That's actually pretty accurate," Levi laughed.

"That's it in a nutshell," said Thorn.

"WELP, that's it for this week!" said Rachel, standing up. "Next week… we bring the comics up again. Half of this shipping, I know ABSOLUTELY nothing about. I need help. We're discussing the shipping of Tails and Mina! I'll see you then!"

The cameras shut off and most of the building's contents were shuffled out.

As Rachel walked backstage, Elektor walked up to her, an anxious anecdote ready to explode out of his face.

"So before I got here," he said. "I walked past this person and her dog. The person was throwing sticks for the dog to fetch… but he was just sitting there. I think he was close to falling asleep, actually. Pretty soon, he had a thick wreath of sticks surrounding him."

He shrugged.

"Guess that dog just wasn't putting up with any of that crap."

So then, with a mischief-brimmed snicker, Rachel replied "I guess you could say that owner put that dog in a rather… _sticky_ situation."

"…That could be taken in a _very_ dark direction…" Elektor started to laugh.

"I'm so sorry…" Rachel replied.

"It's all good," Elektor smiled. "It's kinda… c-cute if you don't mind me saying…"

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you again, Oceanic Coral! The question this time is as follows: If you have a 'special one' (by this, I assume it's if you especially like one of the Sonic characters), how did you develop your crush on them? My answer to this... Everyone knows my Sonic 'special one' is Silver, right? That wasn't a mystery, I hope. Well… he's actually PART of the reason I got so interested in the Sonic franchise. First, it was just "Huh. He's actually really cute…" But then, I learned more about him, and… well… started liking him exponentially more. So there ya go.**

 **Shameful self-promotion time: I've got a presence on FictionPress now! I've got a story published there at last (it's actually a novel-like thing I hope to actually get published someday). So… if you truly desire… by all means…**


	30. Episode 29 (Tails x Mina)

**Props: This week, I thank Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for their OCs and opinions. It literally means EVERYTHING.**

 **Explanation for my lateness: I didn't feel well when it came time to write. I feel a little better now!**

* * *

As the cameras flipped on, so did the somewhat awkward atmosphere in the studio. The sun shone in through the occasional window on the wall, rather than the moon. Also, it was slightly quieter. Even from the stage, there felt to be more leg room.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel, the show's hostess, said into a microphone. "But wait! Aren't we usually here on Friday nights? Well… yes. But just as I was about to leave, everyone behind the scenes here, including myself, got a call from law enforcement stating that they were highly suspicious that Eggman was around here and wanted us to stay away from here for our safety. So our producer and I talked and decided on now for this week's show."

She regained her breath.

"Keep planning on Friday nights," she continued. "If the studio's empty on Friday night, something stupid has happened. Alright?"

"Alright!" a couple of people from the audience replied in time.

"Alright!" Rachel smiled. "Today, we discuss a shipping whose latter half I know absolutely nothing about. Tails and Mina. So… I really can't say much. Not even fanfictions have told me much about Mina at all. So I hope that our three veterans know a little more than I do. Please welcome back to this stage… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

What was left of the audience put their hands together for the trio of guests, who found their way to their seats.

"Thanks for understanding the delay, guys," Rachel said, finding her own seat.

"No problem," Levi replied. "I wish that someday, I had the power to defeat Eggman."

"That'd be super cool," Thorn agreed.

"Then, the celebrities would all love us, I bet," Mercury added.

"Ha," said Rachel. "That'd be amazing! But anyway… guys… I'm a stupidhead. I don't know anything about Mina, so I can't say anything about how she'd match up with the young scientist. Thorn… what do you know?"

"A rock star mongoose and a scientist fox…" Thorn explained. "Interesting somewhat… but nu. I don't really think this would work out very well. With Mina away on concerts and tours, and with Tails making his inventions and saving the world alongside Sonic and the others, they wouldn't have much time for themselves, let alone children."

"Oh, so we're already thinking about children?" Mercury laughed.

"That's what it ultimately leads to, right?" Thorn continued. "Also, isn't Mina somewhat older than Tails? Besides, Mina's dating Ash, so it wouldn't really make any sense to me for someone like Mina to break up with someone like Ash to date someone like Tails… Sorry to any diehard supporters…"

"'Someone like Tails?'" Rachel laughed a bit. "Aww. But you've got an interesting point. Alright, Levi… what do you think?"

"Tails and Mina actually marry at some point," Levi stated. "It's actually something I'm not too fond of. Really, who saw that coming? At the same time, I don't dislike the idea. And that's basically it. They exist as a couple at some point, and I respect that."

"Really?" said Rachel. "So I see that a lot of love takes place in the comics compared to the games. I'm curious as to all the couples that are promoted there. But anyway, Mercury! Your thoughts!"

"Tails and Mina…" Mercury explained. "No, no, no. Okay, so I'm not a real big fan of this one and the reason is this: Mina was originally a love interest for Sonic."

"Seriously?!" Rachel asked.

"I kid you not," Mercury nodded. "Why does Mina have super speed? Because they wanted to give her something that Sonic has and Sally didn't, making her a threat to Sally for Sonic's affection. But this episode isn't about Sonic and Mina. It's Tails and Mina that we're talking about. And it kinda rubs me the wrong way when thinking that Mina was meant for Sonic and not for Tails. Since Sonic and Sally were going to be in a 'relationship', they thought… Who was Mina going to get with? And there's what I think. I hate to think that Tails and Mina's 'relationship' was just an afterthought, because Sonic had already found someone. It really, _really_ bugs me. I don't like this one at all, but whatever. Haters gonna hate, right?"

"I suppose," Rachel shrugged. "Meant for Sonic… Interesting."

She stood, her mind momentarily flashing to a mental quandary that had sat at the side of her mind for ages.

"Welp, that's it for this week!" she announced. "Again, thank you all for being so understanding about the delay! And next week, when we hopefully return on Friday night… We discuss the shipping of the blue blur and that treasure hunter that's a real hit with the dudes. Sonic and Rouge, everyone. I'll see you all then!"

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thanks again, Oceanic Coral! The question for this week is as follows: What is your favorite season? Mine personally has to be late spring and early summer. So… spring? I just love it when all of that icky snow is finally gone, but you don't have to wear sunscreen or a jacket! Also, rain and storms return! Rain is my spirit weather.**

 **Elaboration on shameful self-promotion time: My name over there** _ **is**_ **also PrincessPeace15, and the story is called Experiment 54. I'm actually seeing some interest, which is awesome!**


	31. Episode 30 (Sonic x Rouge)

**Props: Thank you, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral, for your OCs and opinions! As you know, they are the foundation for the show! Thanks to the one known as "random gal" for reviewing, though! You and Levi are in our thoughts! You can do it!**

* * *

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" the show's hostess, Rachel, said into the camera. "Forgive my general veil of fatigue and weakness here, but I've just come from our school's winter homecoming basketball game. We lost. I came out of that crowded gym with a mild heat rash. Need I say more?"

Said fatigue was clear. Usually, there was actually a bit of pep in her step…

"This week, we're stepping back into where both sides are completely known to me," she continued. "The wind that blows at sound-speed… and the wind that carries jewels away. Sonic and Rouge, everyone. Tonight, I've only got two of our veterans here with me. The third's university wrapped him in an iron grip. Let's keep Levi in our thoughts, everyone. Here, though, are the other two… Mercury and Thorn!"

The two remaining studio names strutted their way onstage and to their seats.

"Hi, guys!" said Rachel, finding her own seat. "This feels like the first weekend I've had in forever. But anyway… Oh, wait, my opinion! It completely escaped my shutting-down mind. The only way I imagine Sonic and Rouge ever getting together is through some sort of sexual plot twist. Either they both get really sad about their own problems (bonus points if they're both breakups) and go to the same bar, see each other, and decide to just go at it… or they both get drunk at said bar and are lured into it through some sort of alcohol fairy's evil telepathy. I deem this one possible under certain sets of circumstances. She might see something in his cool attitude, but something tells me that he just thinks of her as a jerk. So Thorn… Is Sonic's heart the victim of Rouge's next heist?"

"Bloody fluff, no," Thorn reacted. "Just… no. In NO WAY can I imagine Sonic and Rouge together as a SERIOUS couple. It's not that I have anything against her. I mean, she's pretty badass. It's really just that Sonic's personality and lifestyle would in no way be able to last long with Rouge's personality and lifestyle. Oh gosh…"

"I see that," Rachel nodded. "Mercury? Penny for your thoughts?"

"That'd be cool," Mercury laughed. "Nah, I kid. What good are pennies, anyway? But anyway… Sonic and Rouge… Hmm? Now those are two characters that, for the most part, don't really interact as much. Rouge can flirt with Sonic on occasion, and Sonic refuses to call her what she kinda is: a thief. Sonic and Rouge, I believe, are friendly toward each other despite their differences. As a couple, I see awkwardness. To me, Sonic is best solo, as with Rouge (despite her interest with Knuxs and Shads). No need. They're fine as they are."

"So general consensus is 'No, they're stupid together and it'd never work out,'" said Rachel. "Don't be modest. That's what you were both thinking, right?"

Mercury gave a subtle nod.

"Well, that's that for this week!" Rachel announced, standing. "Tune in next time! We'll have the talk about a certain anti-hero and a certain pyro-princess. Shadaze, everyone. Is it fire, or is it just burning down? I'll see you all then!"

The cameras shut off, and everyone seemed to be going on their merry way. Rachel's, for instance, was backstage, more specifically toward the door to the outdoors.

Until one tiny little sniff called out to her from through a wall. It froze her feet. The door in front of her might as well have been guarded by her own heftiest mental security guard.

She put her ear up to said wall that the sound emerged from and grew colder and colder as a breath was made that absolutely reeked of quivers. Something trying not to break. She knew those horrid pains anywhere. So she dropped her bag right where she'd been standing and paced over to the door to the head producer's office.

But of course, her own social awkwardness had to butt in. Maybe being alone in his office was like a safe haven for him? Maybe social contact would just pour bacteria into an open wound? So as a result of her somewhat off paranoia, she ended up standing there, at that door, for another few minutes at the least. To barge in, or not to barge in? To risk letting him be sad forever, or to risk making things more painful for him? Whatever was causing the pain in the first place?

Fortunately, after just a few minutes, the door opened, and Elektor, instead of walking out, stood there and looked at Rachel. Just looked at her.

Now was the chance.

"E-Elektor?" Rachel asked. "Are… Are you okay?"

"Terrible," Elektor replied, stepping out and closing the door. "Just damn terrible. My only other friends from film camp are fighting with each other, and honestly… I'm really lonely…"

"Well," said Rachel. "You know I'm here for you, buddy."

"…I know," Elektor nodded.

And just as soon, he had his arms wound around her and his chin rested precariously on her shoulder. She was gently hugging back and hoping warmth was a medicine.

"Thank you…" he whispered, still quaking from the force of the sudden onset.

"It's not a problem, buddy," Rachel reassured him. "I'm here."

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you once again, Oceanic Coral! This one looks a bit different. It is as follows: Give a list of your top 5 favorite Sonic characters, and your top 5 least favorite. Huh… This one's actually kinda difficult. Well, #1 is definitely Silver. #2 has to be Espio, #3 is Shadow, #4 is Sonic, and #5 is actually Eggman. My least favorite are as follows. #1 is Rouge, #2 is Scourge (I suppose he counts), #3 is Amy, #4 is Cream, and #5 is Big.**

 **Author's casual discussion: I've got an additional question for you, from me myself! A lot of you are able to go so in-depth when it comes to shippings with comic characters, and I have to ask… Do any of you actually read the comics? If so… HOW? I must know HOW!**


	32. Episode 31 (Shadow x Blaze)

**Initial props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. Remember, they are the fuel that keeps this shindig alive!**

 **Additional thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT: For a couple of things, I tip my hat to you! First off, whether you intended it or not, you've given me next week's topic! And I'm actually going to have an opinion for it thanks to your telling me how to see the comics! Oh, a million "Thank you"s! A million!**

* * *

As _soon_ as Rachel walked into the studio on that barely-dimming Friday night, she spotted Elektor in the corner, who was lifting the first of the four symbolic chairs-to-be-staged.

"Hey, is Thorn here yet?" she asked him.

"She's actually in the restroom right now," Elektor chuckled a bit in response. "Why?"

"Something she told me has made my life SO much easier!" Rachel squealed.

"And another thing," Elektor stated, setting down the chair that had been in his arms. "I think you're here earlier than you were for Episode Party!"

"...My grades tripped on the mountain," Rachel sighed. "I haven't been to school since Tuesday, and I could very well have called to put tonight off for next week. All because I constantly feel as if someone's trying to wear my stomach like a sock."

As Rachel walked off, Elektor sighed himself. Poor thing'd been saying stuff like that since May of the previous year.

Just a bit later, as Rachel was scanning the stage to see that not a soul had arrived yet, she got a thought. A rebuttal.

So she turned on her heel and walked right back to the stage, where Elektor was kneeled to the floor and examining the snapped leg of a chair. The same exact chair, and she knew it.

"Who are you to talk, anyway?" she laughed. "You were here even before I was!"

Defeated was the Elektor.

"B-But I'm the head producer!" he argued. "You're the hostess!"

At that moment, Rachel noticed a familiar figure sitting on one of the couches. Elektor had probably known she'd been there for ages, but it threw Rachel off guard for a second.

"You guys might as well have shiny rings around your fingers," the figure insisted. "Because you're already fighting like a married couple."

Rachel had been waiting to speak to this figure… so she didn't even realize how nervously Elektor directed his attention back to the broken chair leg, trying to act as if nothing at all had been said.

This figure was the aforementioned Thorn.

"Thorn…" said Rachel, walking around to behind the couch where she was sitting.

"You're welcome," Thorn smiled. "Honestly, I felt some pity for ya. Figured I'd let you in on my little secret."

"Well, I highly appreciate it," Rachel smiled. "I am in your debt."

And just a few hours later, it was what everyone had looked forward to on the average Friday night. Just a grand ol' time tossing people together and drawing hearts around them.

"Hello there, and welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed to the opening cameras. "This week, we're discussing the shipping of the one whose memories may as well be aflame and the one who may as well _be_ aflame. Shadow and Blaze. So… I personally haven't thought about this one much. I suppose their personalities match up pretty well. They both are pretty determined, pretty serious, pretty not-so-keen-of-other-people... You get it. Here to give their opinions on the pair are _all 3_ of our beloved veterans! Levi survived, everyone!"

A brief few seconds of saluting applause went by.

"Yep! So let's get 'em all out here!" she continued.

The energy was practically brimming.

"Welcome back to the stage… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

And said energy nearly blew the roof off as the three guests made their way onstage. Had Rachel put together a bit of a cult here or what?

"Welcome back to the show, you three!" said Rachel as all four of them sat down. "Levi, it's good to see you in one piece!"

"Good to be in one piece!" Levi nodded.

"So Levi…" said Rachel. "These two. Shadow and Blaze… Is the flame a nice tiny one that's burning incense... or is it burning down that beautiful house on the corner?"

"…Shadow and Blaze as a couple may be a possibility," Levi explained. "They met each other in the comics, right? They have a bit of history! Shadow somehow ended up in Blaze's dimension, they met, the fought mechanical pirates together, they separated, and they later saw each other again. They argued, then mended their friendship. He actually helped to get the Sol Emeralds back… A-Anyway, at this point, I'd say they're on perfect grounds to take it a step further. The real question is whether or not they want to. Whether they actually see potential partners in one another will determine everything."

"Huh," Rachel nodded, actually seeing a little weight go behind the pairing. "They've really been through all of that? Wow… I'm starting to see it! Anyone wanna convince me otherwise?"

"Not really," Thorn shrugged. "Think what you please. This… I have no feelings towards. Not exactly a plot-twist relationship, though not a normal one either. That's… really all I have to say."

"Alright," said Rachel.

Somehow, her eyes were directed up to the ceiling for a split second… and her heart raced in the wrong ways for a second when she heard and saw as a lone stinkbug repeatedly headbutted the light right above her head.

"Someone kill that thing," she said. "Anyway, Mercury! What are your thoughts?"

"Oh, boy, this actually brings back some memories…" Mercury replied. "…At the time, I only had Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games. I knew NOTHING about Mobius or the people on it. Since I essentially knew nothing about the Sonic characters, I paired them all up based on how they looked… and I kid you not when I say that Shadow and Blaze was one of those shippings. To my later knowledge, they met in one of the Sonic comics. Sonic Universe, to be precise. Shadow and Metal Sonic got transported to Blaze's dimension by Chaos Control. Personality-wise, Shadow and Blaze were essentially the same: serious, level-headed, relatively quiet, anti-social, etc. I believe they'd get along just fine because their personalities are so similar. As a couple, though? Well… yeah! I kinda dig this one! They're both basically one in the same! Chaos and Flames! I ship it!"

…Was it just Rachel, or had some sort of microscopic mind-control flea attached itself to Mercury's neck on that last part?

"Huh," Rachel reacted. "So… most all of us are in favor of Shadaze! Like, actually in favor!"

She aimed her sight over to Mercury, so matter-of-factly that it almost hurt.

"Who would've guessed?" she asked.

She looked back to the camera.

"Well, that was actually a compelling conversation!" she said. "Join us next week, when we hop back over to the comics. One is regal, and one… kinda looks regal on first glance, but is kind of a dunce so far. Sally and Antoine, everyone. And I'll actually have an opinion next time! Special thanks to Thorn here for directing me to a way that my poor self can read the comics!"

"Again, you're welcome!" Thorn smiled.

"I'll see you all next time!" Rachel concluded.

So the cameras shut off, and just about everyone went on their merry way. Rachel's was toward backstage until she was rather politely stopped by an oddly compassionate-looking Elektor.

"I'm really sorry you had to put up with me last week," he sighed.

In the distance, the door to the soaking outdoors swung open and closed again. And they both thought nothing of it, which would end up being quite ironic… especially for the blue-eyed hostess…

"I was in a REALLY dark place," Elektor continued telling her. "Like, so dark that even the pits of Hell seemed like the sun compared to it."

Rachel could feel her heart fall a bit.

"Really?" she asked.

The one who had walked through the door suddenly stopped just behind the curtain between backstage and the stage. Observed those two with all possible attention.

"Yeah," Elektor nodded. "I was assured nothing would ever go right for me. In short, I… really appreciate what you did for me. And I know… well… that it really wasn't the first time you've seen me so low, either."

"That, I can't argue with," Rachel agreed. Orange and green bars were aligned in a somehow perfect harmony in some memory at the side of her mind…

The one who'd walked in the door before was now fixated on Elektor's expression. Didn't even know much of him and still figured that he looked much more bedazzled than usual. Why wouldn't his eyes come off of Rachel?!

"You and me both," Rachel replied. "We've both gotten a glimpse of Hell from light-years away, but made it through."

"…I am in a lot of debt with you," Elektor laughed nervously. "You know that, right?"

The one who'd walked into the building just moments before was starting to feel a bit of heat. Elektor's smile looked so sweet. The world had to have been enhanced in color for _anyone_ to smile like that. Figures. He was looking at Rachel, after all…

"Yeah, as I am with you," Rachel replied. "I enjoy doing the show with you. Just remember that."

And she seemed content with it. She smiled back, as sweetly as memory always served it. Why is it, then, that this person that had just entered the building was starting to squint their eyes and think about how unsettling it all suddenly was?

"I will," Elektor nodded proudly.

He then looked to the curtain.

"…Don't freak out," he told Rachel. "But I've got this odd feeling someone's been stalking us this entire time."

"Oh, really?" Rachel laughed.

Suddenly, an extremely familiar voice explained "Sorry to intrude. I didn't want to just jump in the middle of your conversation."

Familiar, indeed. It'd never fail to melt Rachel to her spot.

I mean… it's not every day that she could say that Silver the Hedgehog stepped out from behind the curtain at the studio. But he did. And it even left Elektor in a bit of awe.

"Hey!" Rachel cheered.

"Hi!" Silver smiled, walking over to her and giving her a quick hug… which Rachel would still never be able to get over.

"…Hey there," Elektor waved.

"Hi," Silver said to him. "You're the producer, right?"

"That's… actually right," Elektor replied in shock. "Sorry, it's just… I'm talking to an actual celebrity! Geez!"

"Well, I suppose it's the both of you I have a proposition for, then," Silver continued to smile.

He reached into his coat pocket… and withdrew a Nintendo 3DS.

"I've got Mario Kart 7 in here, and I challenge you both to it!" he explained.

"I don't really have a 3DS, sadly," Elektor sighed.

"I do!" Rachel smiled. "And I always bring it in the hopes that I'll StreetPass with some people!"

"Awesome!" Silver cheered.

And that was the preface to the Mario Kart matches that Rachel wanted to go on forever. Bumping karts with someone for the gold all the time was never so much fun before.

Little did she, or anyone, really know that similar glee was running through the other racer's heart as well.

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thanks again, Oceanic Coral! So what's the question this time? Well… What's your favorite form of Sonic's? This likely means either Sonic the Werehog, Super Sonic, etc. In which case, my answer is as follows: Sonic, to me, is best as he usually is! His blue blur self! Sure, the other forms are rad in their own ways, but… I dunno. They all just seem like additional powers to me.**

 **Question for Oceanic Coral: Shipping them all… That sounds like something I would have done back in the pre-knowing-anything-about-Sonic days. So I'm curious: What shippings did you come up with?**


	33. Episode 32 (Antoine x Sally)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "random gal", and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions! Without you, this wouldn't even be a thing! Oh, and additional thanks to Oceanic Coral for next week's topic!**

 **Reason for lateness: A bunch of crap happened. And by dinnertime, I was cold and tired, so I was just like "I'll have to write it tomorrow. My wonderful fans will understand, right?"**

* * *

"Hey, Rachel," Elektor smiled, walking up to the said blue-eyed hostess who'd just walked in with a big bag. "I-"

"Don't touch me, I'm sterile!" Rachel reacted, taking a step back.

"…And another thing," Elektor questioned. "Why do you have a face mask around your neck?"

"My folks were so smart that they invited my niece over, who is clearly still contagious with the flu," Rachel explained. "Those guys deserve a freakin' PhD!"

"I mean, she's sick," Elektor replied. "Have a bit of sympathy."

"I would if I had any sort of faith in my immune system," Rachel sighed, taking the mask off and stuffing it into her pocket. "And if being near sick people didn't make my heart fly off the rails. Someone puked in the house some years back, and I was hyperventilating."

Elektor couldn't keep his eyebrow from shooting up.

"I agree, I need a stay at a five-star asylum or something," Rachel huffed, looking at the clock. "Now get in there. We've got a healthy audience out there waiting for some juicy gossip."

Just a few minutes later, the cameras were flipping on, and so was the energy in the room.

"Hey, all you people!" Rachel sang. "Hey, all you people! Hey, all you people, won't you listen to me… and my guests? Ha ha! Anyway, this week, we're discussing a couple of figures that upon first glance would appear to be the prince and princess of some prestigious kingdom somewhere… when in reality, that's only true for the princess, I think. The other dreams of becoming the prince, though! Antoine and Sally. What do we think? What I think… is that it likely wouldn't work out. Antoine just seems caught up in the feelings, and not of the possibilities of what could be, if that's a good way of putting it. I deem this one PUSC… which stands for 'Possible Under Specific Circumstances.' Hey, what if I were to trademark that? Anyway, I just think that… well… if it weren't for another thing I know, Antoine would be the first to the plate if Sonic were ever to dump Sally for some odd reason. But that's what I think. What do our three guests think? For that is the question. Please welcome back to the stage… Levi, Mercury, and Thorn!"

The three stars of the stage made their way to their seats, and Rachel made her way to her own seat, which sat facing the other row of seats.

"Thank you all for being here today!" Rachel smiled. "So… Antoine and Sally… or Antoally, I guess… Thorn, is this a royal wedding to remember, or just a royal eff-up?"

"So, if you've read the comics and watched the classic TV show," Thorn said. "We can all agree that Sally shows absolutely NO romantic interest in Antoine. Despite all the things the coyote does to win the chipmunk-squirrel's affection, he fails… MISERABLY. And while Sonic gets her affection instead, this makes Antoine jealous, which in turn has him trying harder to win her affection. It just wouldn't work out. If they had been a couple, that wouldn't change the fact that Antoine is self-centered… selfish…"

"Huh," said Rachel. "A constant loop. Alright, Levi! What do you say?"

"Antoine is currently with another Freedom Fighter, right?" Levi said. "I believe he did originally have his sights on Princess Acorn, but neither of them truly wanted that type of relationship with each other. As someone said sometime, it was simply 'loyalty gone too far'."

He shrugged.

"She's not interested," he concluded. "That's it."

"I mean, I'd personally say that Antoine was striving for that relationship," Rachel stated. "But I'm only on Issue #38. Again, thank you so much, Thorn."

"No problem!" Thorn smiled.

"So Mercury," said Rachel. "What are your thoughts?"

"An immediate NO," Mercury stated. "It's not just because they don't belong together, but… I'll explain. When Antoine was young, he had the interest for Sally, thinking that they 'belonged' together. He attempted flirting with her on many occasions. After a long period of time, though, he realized that Sally was feeling nothing of it, so he gave up on her. So there. And even still, Antoine is happily married to Bunnie Rabbot-"

"So they get married?" asked Rachel. "I mean… he pecked her on the cheek once, so I envisioned it, but… never mind me and my way-behind progress."

"Yep," Mercury nodded proudly. "I guess Antoally is a kind of hit-or-miss thing."

"Huh," Rachel replied. "You know, it's funny we bring that up…"

She stood.

"Because Antoine and Bunnie are the center of next week's discussion!" she announced. "Let the lovebugs bite all they want on Sunday. I'll see y'all next week to see who survived!"

The cameras flipped off, and everyone was on their own merry way (the audience's was directed out the door). Rachel went backstage and to her bag, taking out a pillow and a blanket.

"You crashing here tonight?" asked Elektor, whose curiosity was summoned.

"Yep," Rachel sighed, tossing the pillow down by one arm of the longest couch. "This place is like a second home to me."

"…What if we just invited everyone over for a sleepover?" Elektor chuckled.

"…You know, that's not a bad idea," Rachel replied, grabbing the blanket and sitting down on the couch.

"So… uh…" Elektor then said. "…How are you and Silver doing? You guys played Mario Kart for how long last week?"

"Maybe, like, three hours," Rachel responded. "But that stupid jealousy mite is biting me again."

"I think you should have seen that coming," Elektor smirked. "He's a celebrity. He probably co-stars with many of the chicks."

"But here's the thing," Rachel pointed out. "For some dumb reason, Silvamy and Shadilver and other shippings like that actually bring me a bit of relief."

"RELIEF?!" Elektor exclaimed. "Why, exactly?"

"I don't know!" Rachel exclaimed back. "The point is that there's really only one shipping that seriously freakin' hurts for some reason."

"And that's Silvaze," Elektor sighed.

"And that would be Silvaze," Rachel nodded.

"Maybe… and this is going to sound extremely stupid…" Elektor proposed. "…Maybe deep down in your soul, you ship it."

"That sounds EXTREMELY strange, actually," said Rachel. "Shipping a couple means that you WANT them to be an item, and… well… I kinda dream of Silver maybe being mine someday."

"But you still think Silvaze would work," Elektor continued. "You ship it in that respect. You're so hurt by it because, unlike Silvamy and Shadilver, Silvaze appears to be _highly_ realistic based on their friendship. Therefore, you, always wanting to see true love take place, think you actually want to see it happen!"

"…You're almost right," Rachel shivered, curling up under the blanket.

"That kind of jealousy can break a relationship, so I'd suggest finding a way to smash it," Elektor suggested, heading back into his office.

"…It's not as easy as it sounds, you jerk…" Rachel whined to herself before closing her eyes.

An hour later, Elektor finally had his finger on the button to shut his computer off. As soon as the monitor dressed black, it seemed, he could hear some strange noise coming from the back door… and it probably would have fizzled out if it weren't for the silence that blanketed the entire studio.

Curiously, he got up, scaring himself when his chair made so much noise. He opened the door and just then was reminded that Rachel was asleep out there. Remembering that, he made his steps to the door quiet.

He got on the tips of his toes to look out through the peephole on the door.

Sure enough, there was a figure standing there, rather professionally waiting for permission to enter. That figure was more sickening familiar some times than others… but tonight, he was actually a rather welcome guest.

But he still had to wonder, though… What made it so that Silver the Hedgehog was visiting such a simpleton's studio? And… was that a pink and yellow thing in his left hand?

He opened the door, whispering "Hey there! How've you been?"

"I've been alright, thank you," Silver whispered back, stepping inside and closing the door. "Why are we whispering, by the way?"

Elektor did nothing more than point over to where Rachel was sound asleep.

"Ah," Silver nodded. "Why's she sleeping here?"

"Problems at home," Elektor explained. "If I can call it that."

Of course, the first part of that explanation made an extremely worried expression paste itself onto Silver's face.

Noticing that he then directed this look toward the slumbering Rachel, Elektor said "You can stay, if you want to. I was thinking of staying myself."

"I will, then," Silver nodded.

"Say…" Elektor asked, directing his vision to the thing in Silver's hand. "What's that?"

"O-Oh, this?" Silver replied, holding the heart-shaped thing up, which turned out to be a box. "Some nice chocolate. Valentine's Day is coming up, right?"

"That's all fine and dandy," Elektor smiled. "But… is that a card that's taped to it?"

"…As a matter of fact, there's a couple of them there," Silver nodded.

"You know…" Elektor giggled a bit. "I think it'd be okay if we woke her up."

"Seems a bit rude to me," Silver replied.

"Nah, it's only been an hour," Elektor shrugged. "Maybe I have a question I have to ask her before I leave!"

Before Silver could retaliate, Elektor was already walking over to Rachel. Sooner than that, he had his hand on her shoulder, slowly shaking her a bit. Soon enough, her eyes crept open and looked up at him.

"Sorry to wake you," Elektor told her. "But I'm afraid the chocolates will melt before you can get home."

"But it's freezing outside," Rachel said. "…And what chocolates, anyway?"

"These," went Silver's voice, which came with the box that was soon less than a centimeter from Rachel's hand.

Her face lit up like a firecracker.

"Oh, thank you!" she blushed. "Thank you so much!" This had to be a dream. Soon, she'd wake up to be greeted with utter silence, right? No? She guessed not! This was amazing!

"What's more important, though, are the cards on top," Silver explained, with a slight blush on his own face. "There's one there for Mercury from Shadow…"

"Seriously?!" Elektor laughed with glee.

"The guy's finally fessing up that he'd kinda like to get to know the girl more," Silver smiled. "And Rachel… T-The other one's for you… from me. Is there any chance that you could get Mercury over here? We kinda want you to read them together."

"This is seriously happening…" Elektor was laughing to himself.

"I could try to call her," Rachel replied, blindly reaching around for her phone, with the utmost worry that Mercury would be asleep.

And just 15 minutes later, Mercury was sitting right beside Rachel. They were both holding their respective cards.

"Alright," said Silver. "Open them!"

When Rachel opened hers, it read, in glitter-laced letters…

"Rachel, you are officially invited to Amy Rose's Valentine's Day Bash! Taking place at the Station Square Hotel's ballroom at 5pm on February 14th!" Mercury definitely had the same invitation, only sparkled with her name.

"Wow…" Mercury marveled, surprisingly not quite as red as a tomato.

"We're all going to be there," Silver said. "Amy, Sonic, Blaze, Rouge, Tails, and everyone else! And of course, Shadow and myself!"

"This is going to be so fun!" Rachel beamed. "We're honored."

"I was going to say…" Mercury said. "I'm a bit disappointed that Shadow couldn't hand-deliver the invitation to me."

Shadow was a coward, and Mercury knew it, didn't she?

"I'm a bit disappointed in him myself," Silver laughed. "He's such a dense chicken!"

"So, uh…" Mercury continued. "Does that mean I get some chocolates, too?"

"No, those are Rachel's, from me," Silver replied.

"So I don't have to share!" Rachel laughed, holding the box close to her heart and wishing this night would never be lightened by the sun.

"…Don't I get anything?" Elektor whined. "I'm so lonely over here!"

"There's some gas stations still open if you want me to get you a Snicker's," Silver replied, honestly feeling a bit bad for the guy.

"That'd be kinda nice, I suppose…" Elektor sighed.

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you once again, Oceanic Coral! The question this week is as follows: If you were to make a Sonic crossover with any series that's NOT Mario, what would the other series be? My answer… *snickers* I would actually LOVE to see how a Sonic and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney crossover would go. Hey… I should do that! I should just write that someday. Maybe I will, even if it's just a quick one-chapter thing!**

 **Question for the reader: I wasn't actually kidding about the whole sleepover idea. Maybe it'll make this thing more personal and fun if, just for a night, a mix of us and some characters had a sleepover backstage! What do you guys think?**


	34. Episode 33 (Antoine x Bunnie)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for your OCs and opinions… and to ZeroPhoenix230 for your OC. And ZeroPhoenix… for reasons, you'll be making a small appearance here. Apologies if I messed something up. Oh, and thanks to Oceanic Coral for next week's topic!**

* * *

When Rachel walked into the studio that night, Mercury and Elektor were already sitting across from each other on the couches backstage. Her first impression was that they were having a staring contest with a box of Skittles going to the winner. That might also have been because Mercury had a box of Skittles in her hand.

"And when I got there, he was actually standing outside of the ballroom and waiting for me!" Mercury squealed. "I was almost swept off my feet! So yeah… We went in and pretty much danced the night away!"

All Elektor could do between words was continue laughing his rear end off.

"This is amazing," he managed to say. "Shadow… dancing… with a girl?! Oh, that's priceless!"

Then, Rachel decided to chime in "Hey, you gotta admit, that says something. The guy's usually a black recluse with a fatal bite. Feel special, Mercury! From what Silver and I spotted, we think you've already made a golden rift in his life."

That statement only made the muscles in Mercury's face look like they were about to snap from her smile.

"Y-You really think so?!" she fangirled.

"We sure do," Rachel nodded, taking a seat to Mercury's left.

"…You know, I guess you're right," Mercury responded, getting a sudden air of dignity. "He looked straight into my eyes while we danced… when we weren't trying to keep our feet from betraying us, that is. He was smiling, too! That smile is just… a-amazing."

Both Elektor and Rachel reacted with "Woah."

"I swear," Mercury continued. "When he asked me if I'd dance with him, I almost melted into a little Mercury puddle."

"I know EXACTLY what you're talking about!" Rachel laughed.

"Oh, hey!" Elektor smirked, turning to Rachel. "You. Did you have the same luck?"

"Luck…" Rachel replied. "I suppose!"

"You and I barely saw each other at all that night!" Mercury told Rachel. "We were talking on speakerphone while we were getting ready, then you said that someone had knocked on the door. Something tells me that it's your turn to take the floor."

"Oh, yeah!" Rachel smiled. "See…"

She turned to Elektor.

"Yeah, Mercury and I were talking," she explained. "I had gotten my dress on and brushed my hair and everything. I'd just finished putting in my other earring, actually, when I heard three knocks on the door. I ended my call with Mercury and opened the door."

Now her smile was face-breaking.

"And wouldn't you know it," she said. "Silver's standing there in this absolutely handsome tuxedo, a rose in his hand, a dazzling smile, and his car waiting out on the street. And I thought I was driving there myself, to be honest! This was a complete surprise!"

"WHAT?!" Mercury reacted.

"Woah!" Elektor said.

"I still can't believe I'm not kidding!" Rachel continued. "After he commented on how pretty he thought I looked, we headed down to the party. I still remember our conversation on our way there like it was yesterday. When we got there, Silver introduced me to a few people… namely Sonic, Blaze, and Amy. I guess Amy was actually the one to introduce Silver to Thoughts of the Unknown, so she talked to me like she was a huge fan! It felt great, actually!"

She remembered how Silver had made that compliment, too: It followed an expression of pure amazement, as if he'd just seen a pretty red firework. She'd have to put that in the self-esteem repair kit… and the bank of precious moments.

"I really only got to meet one other person," Mercury added. "That was Rouge."

"What's she like?" Elektor asked, knowing perfectly well what he'd heard about her.

"I… think she ships me and Shadow, actually," Mercury giggled. "So the answer to that age-old question: Who does she really like? That's either Knuckles or… someone else we don't know about."

"But yeah," Rachel continued. "Just like Mercury and Shadow did, Silver and I basically danced the night away, too! I don't think I've ever had that much fun while dancing! His eyes give me a new respect for the color gold, y'know? I've never loved a smile so much, either. Someone might as well have molded my mouth into a smile like clay."

"So let me guess," Elektor smiled, pointing at Mercury. "Shadow said goodbye to you and disappeared somewhere."

"Well… no," Mercury responded. "He actually walked me out to my car. And… A-And…"

Now her face was flushing again. Rachel and Elektor both kinda leaned in.

"He hugged me!" Mercury squealed. "He said 'I'll see you again. I swear it,' then just pulled me in for what I honestly thought was going to be a kiss."

"Ah, that's so sweet!" Rachel cheered.

"What about you, then, fox?" Mercury asked, tilting her head. "How did that night end for you?"

"And I'm guessing…" Elektor said to Rachel. "…You two made out on your porch."

"Nope," Rachel laughed. "Well, Silver drove me home, of course. Then, while he was walking with me up to my door, he stopped and looked up at the sky, saying 'It stinks that it's so cold out. It's a beautiful night.' Then, he looked at me and said 'You and I need to go stargazing as soon as it gets warmer, alright?' To which I replied 'Of course! Just setting the tech aside and looking at the night sky is one of the only ways I can find peace anymore.'"

"I suppose you're right," Elektor nodded. "We all just need to go stargazing sometime. Just set our phones in a bin and leave them inside."

"If I have that sleepover I was talking about, we'll definitely do that," Rachel nodded. "So anyway, he then proceeded to say 'I haven't had such a happy night in a long time.'"

"Awww!" Elektor and Mercury reacted simultaneously.

"I know, it was so sweet!" Rachel smiled. "To which I replied 'I haven't been so happy in forever.' Of course, I had to go and feel stupid for being so forward. But then, we shared a quick hug, and he said 'I'll see you soon'… while holding my hands and staring right into my eyes."

Mercury gasped, and Elektor raised an eyebrow.

"And then, he left, and I went inside," Rachel sighed. "Now that I spell it out as a fairytale, it seriously feels like one I never thought I'd live."

"I know EXACTLY what you're talking about!" Mercury smiled.

Rachel looked at the clock to see that it was five minutes to showtime. She stood up.

"Oh, Rachel, hang on!" Elektor said, causing Rachel to turn around and look at him. "A fan sent this in."

He withdrew an envelope from his pocket.

"It's an opinion," Elektor explained, giving said envelope to Rachel. "He said he couldn't make it, but he wants it featured on the show."

"…Alright," Rachel replied. "Makes sense." She turned to Mercury. "Hey, have you heard from Levi?"

"No," Mercury replied. "I wonder what's keeping him."

And just a few minutes later, the cameras were on, the lights shone valiantly, and the action was about to begin.

"Hey, all you lovely people out there!" Rachel cheered. "Welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The energy was impeccable.

"I see you all survived," she continued. "I, and a good friend of mine, did much more than survive… but I'll wait until some tabloid somewhere has written all about it. I feel famous. Anyway… this week's topic is Antoine and Bunnie, a pair that's come to fruition. I am in full support of this. At first, Antoine was all for Sally… but something tells me that that wouldn't have worked even if it did work. I've only seen Antoine peck Bunnie on the cheek before, but something about the whole 'getting over a girl in exchange for a girl that loves you back' thing feels like a wonderful miracle to me. I ship it, and I guess the writers of the Sonic comic do as well. We have two guests here tonight to tell us their views on it. Oh, and we have one new guest who couldn't make it out, but whose letter I'll be reading so that he is known! Welcome back to the stage, first off, two of our three Thoughts of the Unknown veterans… Mercury and Thorn!"

Unlike was expected, though… once Mercury faced the applause and found her seat, only emptiness followed her.

"…'Ey, Mercury?" Rachel asked timidly, actually nearly frozen to her spot. "Have you heard from Thorn?"

"She, on the other hand, should DEFINITELY be here!" Mercury asserted.

All of a sudden, a door slammed in the distance (namely, backstage), and just as soon, Thorn slid onto the stage wearing a Girl Scout sash.

"I'M HERE!" she said, then proceeded to try to catch her breath. "…Aaaaand I'm frozen… As for Bunnie and Antoine, I really don't have anything to say…"

After she panted a few more times, Rachel demanded "Take your seat. You look exhausted."

"That's because I am," Thorn continued, sitting in the other spare seat. "A-Anyway… I mean, they're already married, so really, I have nothing against it. One thing, though, is the accents… French and Western… Some may think they don't mix well, but… this shipping proved me wrong…"

"What happened?" was all that Rachel could respond with.

"Uh, well, it's only less than 30 degrees out there now," Thorn explained. "6 hours of selling cookies in that doesn't really compute."

"Ah," Rachel nodded. "Well, I wish the best to your health. So Mercury… Is this a match made in Paris or a dead horse standing?"

"Well, the former, duh!" Mercury responded. "They're already married and just belong with each other! So how they met? Well, once Bunnie had her cybernetic limbs installed, Antoine noticed her struggles. They both joined the New Freedom Fighters and fought as teammates, and they grew closer because of that. When Bunnie told him that his courage inspired her, they fell in love… and now, they're married. This romance took its sweet time and is pretty dang legit! So I ship it!"

"Makes total sense to me!" Rachel nodded.

She withdrew a certain envelope from her pocket and removed the letter from it.

"This is from a fan who couldn't make it out tonight, but otherwise would have been a new guest," she explained.

She opened the letter.

"'Greetings,'" she read aloud. "'I go by the name Obsidian Prime. I would love to feature myself on your show, but I'd like to say that I agree with the shipping of Antoine and Bunnie. Thank you. P.S.: My special one definitely has to be Blaze the Cat.'"

The audience was silent for a brief moment. Whew… If someone had Blaze in their heart, then…

"Huh," she said. "Well, Obsidian Prime, we would all like to express our welcomes to you, and we hope that maybe someday, you'll be able to make it out!"

She stood.

"And that's it for this week!" she announced. "Join us next time when we shift our focus completely on the game universe once again with the blue blur and the… well, she's another princess. Sonic and Princess Elise, everyone."

She sighed, severely hoping that for a special hedgehog, this wasn't conjuring up horrible flashbacks… but nevertheless, she was a bit excited for the reactions, and not the ones that were already coming in the form of groans from corners of the audience.

In fact, one audience member even went as far as to shout "The Sonic Twitter said for us not to talk about that! It never happened!"

"That page is run by a guy named Aaron, right?" Rachel shouted back. "Pretty sure that guy doesn't run at the speed of light."

She turned back to the camera.

"I'll see you all then!" she smiled.

Everyone went their own ways. In just two minutes, though, Elektor, Rachel, Mercury, and Thorn stood in a circle backstage.

"So I was thinking we could have a sleepover back here," Rachel explained. "The tabloids are already predicting when Shadow's gonna propose to Mercury. I read it earlier. So that means that we're essentially famous. And even if we weren't… what's wrong with a good ol' sleepover with friends?"

"Absolutely nothing, that's what!" Mercury replied.

"Alright," Rachel replied. "So… of course, I have a couple of questions I have to ask all of you. First off, I'm assuming you're all being a part of this neat little shindig. So my first question is… Who else, simpleton or famous, would you like to be here?"

* * *

 **Question for the reader: This sleepover is a go! Who, then, would you like to see at this sleepover, OC or not? As a note, Elektor, Rachel, Mercury, and Thorn are guaranteed to be there.**

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thanks again, Oceanic Coral! Seriously, it's cool that you made this a thing! Now… the question this week is as follows: If you could be of one type from Sonic (by that, we mean Speed, Flight, Power, etc.), what would it be? Me… I'd have to say Speed. But Flight is a close second. Something about being able to run super fast has an appeal.**


	35. Episode 34 (Sonic x Elise)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and ZeroPhoenix230 for the OCs and opinions. Without you all, this wouldn't be here!**

* * *

"It's so great that you could finally make it out, Mr. Prime!" Rachel smiled, having just finished shaking the hand of the show's newest guest.

"Thank you," Mr. Prime nodded simply.

Even Thorn, who was sitting on a couch nearby, couldn't help but look up at him in wonder. The full name, as was pointed out the previous week, was Obsidian Prime, Lord of the Old Inferno. He was what he defined as a Dragonkin/Agonian Hybrid, who stood in green skin that could change to stone… sometimes with magma coursing through it. His eyes glowed with the magnitude of a million flares. Actually, many minutes before was spent in discovery of all of the snow-capped, hell-resembling adventures the very man had been through. In fact, Rachel found herself trembling a little bit when she realized his role in the very universe's well-being. Something to do with the fact that light is required to balance darkness… It was all so much to take in…

As Obsidian walked away, Rachel sighed in worry.

"Now Mercury can't make it out, either?!" she said to herself. "What's happened to her and Levi?"

"Hard to say," Thorn shrugged, somewhat worried herself. "School was cancelled on Thursday, right? This snow is really something."

"I guess… but wouldn't they have called?" Rachel went on.

Looking at the clock, Thorn stood up and said "Not sure, but it's only a few minutes to showtime."

"I guess," Rachel shrugged. "I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad that Obsidian could finally make it out. There's that."

And just a few minutes later, the atmosphere, alight with a new sort of air, was being aired on live television. Some might say that it took a second for Rachel to catch her bearings… when in reality, she was trying to think of a clever intro.

"Alright!" she eventually decided on. "What's up, dudes? And welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown! Where love is torn to shreds and analyzed to the very thread! So… this week…"

Some of the crowd was already groaning.

"Sonic and _Princess Elise_ , everyone!" Rachel beamed.

The groaning tripled.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Rachel continued. "I mean… I actually think it's a bit cute."

"WHAT?!" shouted a few people from the crowd.

"…I might actually have to get serious here about calming you all down…" Rachel murmured to herself.

Fortunately, the impatient stare that Rachel had fallen into struck fear into the souls of a few people, and the studio grew just quiet enough.

"I mean, he convinced her to be herself," Rachel explained. "To show her true colors, y'know? That is absolutely admirable."

A row or two… actually nodded in agreement. It was safe to say that some minds were opened… but definitely not all of them.

"The whole _scene_ , though…" Rachel continued. "THAT scene… That's what I don't necessarily agree with. It just spelled 'unrealistic Disney' to me. But let's move on to what our guests have to say, huh? One's a Thoughts of the Unknown veteran. Give it up for Thorn!"

The crowd applauded wildly as Thorn emerged from backstage and made her way to her seat.

"Our other guest is someone who couldn't make it out last week, but did get his opinion in," Rachel explained. "Now, give a warm 'Welcome to the studio' applause to… Obsidian Prime!"

As Obsidian made his way onto the stage and to the free seat next to Thorn, his applause was accompanied by a few "Woahs" and other gasps of awe. You gotta admit, someone who can flow lava through his skin is pretty rad-seeming.

"Let's go," Rachel said, sitting in her own seat. "The wind and the leaf. I guess. Thorn, let's start with you. Is this the perfect breeze or that crap that tears houses apart?"

"So a human princess and an anthropomorphic hedgehog…" Thorn replied. "Meh… In the game, it was clear that the producers tried WAY too hard to put them together. Then they just ruined it with… THAT scene… and I kid you not when I say that nobody really wanted to talk about it. I don't think there's any romance for them, but if they start over and reintroduce themselves, a nice friendship might be the result."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "Alright, Mr. Prime. What do you think?"

"I hope everyone out here tonight is able to stomach it," Obsidian replied.

"I dunno," said Thorn, scanning the audience. "Some of 'em look pretty green."

"Since it's THOSE two again, I really wonder how the kiss was freaky," Obsidian continued. "I wonder how it all works."

"Don't we all?" Rachel shrugged.

She stood.

"Well, that's that!" she announced. "Join us next time… when we look back over to the comics for the apparent pairing of Knuckles and Bunnie-Rabbot! Two powerhouses… but are they better apart? We'll find out then!"

Everyone went their own way.

As Rachel and Elektor picked up the chairs to put them back in the backstage area, Elektor heard a quite familiar tune crawling from Rachel's throat.

"That tune you're humming…" he said. "…Hey, is that 'LA Devotee?!'"

"I've had it stuck in my head all night," Rachel explained. "I bought that and 4 other Panic at the Disco songs in one night. I had to stop myself, honestly."

"When did that happen?!" Elektor laughed.

"There's this thing I have to go to on some Saturdays," said Rachel. "An extracurricular thing. One of the others decided to blast Panic at the Disco over Spotify. Now, I'd already thought a few of their songs were pretty good, but that day, I realized 'Huh. They did release a new album recently. I oughta give them another try.' And I do not regret it one bit."

* * *

 **Question for the reader #1: What kinds of events would you like to see (games, actual events, etc.) take place at a sleepover that might happen at the studio?**

 **Question for the reader #2: And I'm just curious… Who of the Sonic cast would make a good defense attorney, a good prosecutor, and a good judge? No reason… Heh…**


	36. Episode 35 (Knuckles x Bunnie)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. Oh, and thanks to Oceanic Coral for suggesting next week's topic!**

 **Oh, and the one known as "random gal"… thank you for giving us Levi for all this time. You know that several times, you and Levi were all that kept this amazing little thing of mine going, right?**

* * *

"…Hey, Elektor?" Rachel asked as she walked backstage after carrying the final chair to the stage.

But at first, she didn't get a reply from that bumbling producer. Potentially because he was bumbling about pepperoni into his cell phone.

"10 minutes?" he said to whoever was on the other side. "'Kay. See ya then."

He hung up and slipped his phone in his pocket.

"…S-Sorry, did you say something?!" he asked. "I am so sorry to just cast-"

"Nah, I was the one who tried to interrupt your call," Rachel insisted.

"What did you say?" Elektor then asked.

"I didn't necessarily say it yet," Rachel explained. "…But… have you seen the Deadpool movie?"

"Unfortunately, not yet…" Elektor replied. "Looks hilarious, though."

"You, I, Silver, Shadow, and Mercury could go!" Rachel smiled. "I'm not usually a new movie fanatic… but I hear this movie has just my humor fix!"

"I think you'd be right," Elektor nodded.

He then sighed and slipped his coat on.

"Welp, I've got an epic quest to go on," he announced, walking toward the door. "The quest for pizza! See ya!"

He then walked out the door.

Twenty minutes later, when it was ten minutes to showtime, Thorn, Mercury, and Rachel were sitting on the backstage couches.

"It was those disgusting tests and projects again," Mercury yakked.

"Aww, those things?" Thorn groaned.

"Glad to see you here in one piece!" Rachel smiled.

"Say…" Mercury said. "…Where's Levi been?"

"…I have no idea," Rachel sighed. "It's almost a bit worrying, to be honest."

Suddenly, the door swung at light-speed from its closed position to the wall next to it. Having cast it at such light-speed was a cold-eyed, done-with-life Elektor.

"…I forgot my freaking wallet…" he groaned, closing the door. "I forgot my wallet in my office, and now they have to refrigerate that pizza until after the show!"

Little did anyone know until here that Mercury's eyes had become the size of donuts.

"YOU ORDERED PIZZA?!" she squealed. "It'll be here after the show, right?!"

"Well… for that to happen, I'd have to get someone else to run out to get it," Elektor explained.

"You had an intern, didn't you?" Rachel asked. "Luke?"

"…Oh, Luke!" Elektor smiled. "Yeah! Don't worry. He'll guard that meat and cheese pie with his life."

Just a few minutes later, the audience was alight, and so was the stage.

"Hey, everybody, it's Rachel!" Rachel beamed. "And welcome back to more Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience overwhelmed her with its hearty cheer. Granted, it didn't seem a decibel off from the usual at all... but it still struck her all the same.

"…You all are such amazing people," she smiled. "Thanks to you all, I actually feel like something."

Suddenly, a couple of people in the audience went completely quiet. The air had a scent of sincerity in it.

"You all might have thought I was just up here, looking over discussions and all," she continued. "But really… you all have been facilitating the biggest chance I've ever had in my life. It's lead to a couple of smaller chances that have changed my life for the better."

A few people found that they had something in their eyes.

"Ah, but what am I up sobbing my praise for?" she asked. "Well… I felt lighthearted for a second."

That was the total truth.

"Anyway… this week, we're discussing the shipping of who I feel were just tossed together with… an existent amount of logic, in a way," she went on. "Two powerhouses. Knuckles and Bunnie. As far as I've gotten in the comics, they really haven't met each other yet. I dunno. I put PUSC… or 'Possible Under Specific Circumstances'… in effect for this one. But what do our two guests think? Well, they're both respected Thoughts of the Unknown veterans! Please welcome back to the stage… Mercury and Thorn!"

The crowd exploded into that familiar invigorating cheer as both Mercury and Thorn made their ways to their seats.

"Good to see you back, Mercury!" Rachel beamed.

"Being busy isn't always a worthy virtue," Mercury sighed.

"I guess not," Rachel shrugged. "Let's start with you, then. Knuckles and Bunnie… an affectionate sock to the heart or a hatred-ridden one to the crotch?"

"Interesting," Mercury replied. "Well… here's the thing. Bunnie's already with Antoine, and I practically don't see her with anyone else. But even still, I'm not quite sure what relationship these two might have considering their lack of communication. But I kinda believe that if they were to meet, Knuckles would dig Bunnie's courage and desire to save the world from evil. I believe these two would get along, but not to the point of a realized shipping. Bunnie has Antoine… and Knuckles has a giant green jewel."

Most of the audience, and Rachel and Thorn, exploded into a short fit of laughter.

"I-I can't argue with you there!" Rachel agreed. "Alright, alright… Thorn? Your thinkings?"

"I never woulda thought of this," Thorn replied. "I could imagine it, like anything else in the universe, but I can't really see it. It's mainly the personality thing. Most people would say they're good together, but it just doesn't sit well with me."

"So we have a general verdict here," said Rachel. "This doesn't work."

Both Mercury and Thorn said "I!" at the same time to show agreement.

"Well, that was decided," said Rachel, standing up. "Next week… yeah… One of the specimens in this shipping is one I know NOTHING about. The other's a genius in a young boy's body. Tails and Marine, everyone. Next week. Be here!"

Everyone went their own way. Elektor's, Mercury's, and Thorn's ways were toward the couch, where they'd all be happily munching away at a pepperoni-sprinkled pizza.

Rachel's way, however, was out the door.

"Aw, Rachel," Elektor whined. "Stay here and have a slice."

"There's two reasons that I'm afraid I'll have to turn down that offer," Rachel sighed gravely. "The first is that pizza upsets my stomach, so I'm taking the chance to eliminate it from my life."

"Eliminate PIZZA?!" Mercury screamed, clearly in an outrage. "What are you?!"

"I also was told to head straight home after the show," Rachel continued. "My mother and niece need my knowledge with computers… no matter how basic it may be…"

"Alright," said Mercury. "We'll see you next week!"

"Next week!" Rachel waved, opening the door.

"Bye!" Thorn waved back.

But no later than ten seconds after Rachel stepped foot outside the door, she heard "Hey!" in the form of Elektor's voice. She turned around to face him.

"What are you doing?" he smiled, taking a couple of steps closer to her. "I never got my goodbye hug."

Rachel giggled and replied "Since when was that a thing?"

"Well, it is now," Elektor smiled back, instantly wrapping Rachel in his arms.

Rachel did the same to him. And they stayed like that for well over ten seconds.

For Rachel, it might not have been much.

For Elektor, though, the warmth was addicting. The warmth seeped not only through his coat, but through his chest into his heart. He so wanted to squeeze her even tighter and never let go. This was amazing. Addicting. Which was why he felt even colder than Old Man Winter's soul when she let go.

She let go for a good reason, though. There was a lot of white on the ground, yes.

But there's a different white in even the oldest snow than there is in a random envelope that sat by the door.

"There's an envelope on the ground over there," she said.

Elektor turned around to see that she was right.

"Huh," he responded. "I didn't see that when I went out the first time."

They both walked over to it, and Rachel picked it up and opened it.

"Looks like a letter," Elektor mumbled.

"Let's see…" Rachel said.

She cleared her throat and began to read what might have been the most bittersweet letter she'd read in a long time. It went as follows:

 _Dear friends of Thoughts of the Unknown,_

 _I am displeased to say that I can no longer come to visit with you, and better get to know all of you. While I have honestly found this show pointless and unproductive, it was a nice escape from my rather… chaotic life (though I do realize its importance to you, Rachel and Mercury; you two have had the opportunity to meet some special people). A very close friend of mine needs me elsewhere for some time. I can't say when I'll be back, so I would like to say that I wish you guys the best of luck. Sincerest apologies for my unexpected absence the past couple of weeks (and now this official departure) and thank you for letting me take part in this show when I did make it._

 _-Levi Lester_

* * *

 **To the one known as "random gal": We all are in complete understanding, but we'll definitely miss Levi. He was one of this show's first guests and is part of the reason it's come so far. If you see him, tell him that we all thank him from the bottom of our hearts.**

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you, Oceanic Coral! The question this week is as follows: If you could make one Sonic pairing canon, what would it be? For me… huh… There's quite a few that make sense. I dunno… The only way I can answer this is by saying that I wish Rouge would choose someone already. It's probably the biggest question: Knuckles or Shadow? So either Knouge or Shadouge. One of the two.**


	37. Episode 36 (Tails x Marine)

**Props: Thanks goes out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. You're the fuel to this glorious campfire we've got going!**

* * *

"…Yo, you're not usually that smiley unless Silver's put a finger on you or something," Elektor said. "What's up?"

He had good reasoning to ask such a phrase. Rachel had walked in and set her bag down with this absolutely adorable little smile on her face. Or… so Elektor saw it.

Rachel first blushed a bit and toned the smile down a bit.

"I just finished Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations today," she answered. "…Elektor… Is this what an OTP feels like?"

"W-What are you feeling?" Elektor asked.

"NEVER in my life have I wished so hard that someone in something hadn't died," said Rachel. "She and the guy he was working with… He was apparently deeply in love with her, and… AGH, my poor heart! In a good way!"

"…Yep, that's an OTP," Elektor nodded. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Rachel laughed before walking over to the chairs.

Just 15 minutes later, the cameras were open, and so were the eyes of the audience.

"Good shippical evening!" Rachel beamed. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown! Tonight… we discuss a shipping whose lady I know NOTHING about. I need help. The other is a young savant. Tails and Marine. I mean, I've seen what Marine looks like, and she apparently has an accent. She seems like she has a happy personality, and I feel as if that would go with Tails greatly! Aside from that… this brain is empty. Let's get our guests out here! Please welcome back to the stage… Mercury and Thorn!"

As the two made their ways to their seats, the applause was certainly jovial, yes… but it seemed a little dimmer than usual nevertheless. Rachel picked up on this and knew exactly why.

"Oh, uh… before we begin…" she sighed. "Levi… likely won't be back for a while… if ever."

Most of the audience went quiet, and those who didn't flowed into murmur-like chatter.

"We hope he's not dealing with anything horrible," she continued. "He's got business to take care of elsewhere. Levi, if you're looking on us now… we all wish you the best here."

A short pause.

"So… Tails and Marine," she said, sitting down. "As I've stated before, I know practically nothing about Marine, unfortunately. Enlighten me, smart ones."

"Well, this is definitely unexpected…" Thorn said. "A sailor and a smart kid. At least the ages are around the same… Personally, I don't like it. It wouldn't really work… but it's creative, I suppose…"

"…You sound so totally sure about this," Rachel nodded. "How about you, Mercury? The wind to your sails or the rust to your engine?"

"Them?" Mercury began. "No. I mean, I think it's bad enough that Sonic and Blaze consider Marine as kind of the annoying type, so frankly, I would definitely not want Tails to be with someone like that. She can kinda build stuff on her own, but it essentially doesn't compare to what Tails can do. He'd still appreciate her skill, at the very least. And even still, he thought she was a nuisance at one point, and that's really the troubling part of it. So… this… Definitely not, mate."

"Alright," said Rachel. "So… this is a total rust bucket."

Both Mercury and Thorn chanted "I!" at the same time.

"Well, there ya go," said Rachel, standing up. "As for next week! We'll be discussing a shipping that I… would actually love to learn more about, because I hear that it was actually hinted at and that it's kinda cute! A rock guardian and a rock star… rocking it as a pair? Knuckles and Sonia, everyone. We will see you all right here next week!"

Everyone went their individual way.

Unlike everyone, though… Mercury's night was blown up with a bit of spice. In both an admittedly great and probably bad way.

She stepped out into the night. Oh, the night was finally bearable with its mild air! Almost kinda smelled like rain on the horizon. Huh.

And… was that a wild Shadow scanning the ground in the distance?

Feeling the butterflies lift her heart a bit, Mercury worked up the courage to walk up to him, calling "Shadow?"

As soon as Shadow heard her call, he looked up and replied "M-Mercury! Stay back!" His face was heating up. It was just too weird.

"But… why?" asked Mercury, in a quieter tone.

"That idiot Eggman planted a bomb out here," sighed Shadow. "I knew he was planting a bomb somewhere, but it drew the line with me when I found that it was here."

"WHAT?!" Mercury reacted. "B-But… the studio…"

"It likely wouldn't ruin the building completely," Shadow shrugged. "If it had been planted beneath the building, the most Rachel would have to pay for are a few lights, some ceiling beams-"

His speech was cut off by a few faint, but distinct… beeps. And in just a few seconds, they grew faster and faster.

But so did the moment. Before Mercury could piece it all together, dirt and smoke shot from the ground about 100 feet away, and she was tumbling to the ground.

What had knocked her down was actually none of that, though. It was a warm lifeform… One that declared itself Ultimate. One… rather Shadowy.

And now, he quickly climbed off of her since the debris was clearing. Feeling his face skin start to boil.

"Are… A-Are you okay?" he asked Mercury, who had just sat up and was trying to cool her own self down.

"Just fine," Mercury nodded. "Er… t-thanks-"

"O-Of course!" Shadow was quick to reply. He then held out a hand to help her up.

The air might as well have been hot as magma that night. Their faces and hearts certainly were.

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you so much again, Oceanic Coral! The question(s) this week is (are) as follows: Which of the Sonic characters do you think is the strongest, and which is the most annoying? Strongest… I'd have to say Shadow. Most annoying would definitely have to be Big. Just hearing that voice… It's like "UUGGH, just go away."**


	38. Episode 37 (Knuckles x Sonia)

**Props: Huge thanks, once again, go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. You're responsible for the life this shindig has, and I'm more than grateful for it! Oh, and additional thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for next week's topic!**

 **Oh, and… if you're allergic to twists, this chapter is a biohazard.**

* * *

Another Friday for the road-gray hedgehog. Then again, it didn't sound right to think that; Friday's were what he lived for. Fridays were the soul to the week… the one thing that gave him the fuel to power through the other six days.

He never thought he'd smile so much while lifting a chair.

He never thought Rachel would walk in the door with a tweed jacket draped over her arm, either. But she did, and an odd feeling spawned in his gut.

"H-Hey!" he greeted her.

"Hi!" Rachel greeted back… in a voice shot down by an octave or two, distorted, and aired out. Like someone had shot a bullet through her vocal cords.

"…I know you said you were sick since last week," Elektor replied in awe. "But your voice sounds-"

"Terrible, I know," Rachel managed to say in response. "Not TV material."

"B-But why are we here, then?!" Elektor panicked a bit. "You can't do the show like that!"

"Sure, I can't," Rachel smirked.

She tossed the tweed jacket to the barely-functioning Elektor, who barely caught it. That gut feeling was suddenly an even more unexplainable mix of awe and fear.

"…Y-You can't be serious…" Elektor laughed in response, looking down at the jacket and realizing the proposition.

"More serious than I think I've been in days," Rachel smirked. "We're, in a sense, switching roles this week. How would you feel about talking with our guests about the shipping of Knuckles and Sonia?"

This suddenly went down as one of the best ideas ever.

"I'd…" Elektor responded, smiling at Rachel. "I'd be honored. This'd be a good test for my intern, too. Since he'll have to take over my role, that is."

"You think you've got this?" Rachel asked.

"We've been doing this for over half of a year now," Elektor nodded. "I think I've got it."

"Sweet-" Rachel managed to beam… before her voice caught on her throat, making her implode into a coughing fit.

"That'll all be gone and out of here by next week," Elektor assured her. "Can't wait until then. But… if Luke's got the whole producer thing, and I'm the host… what will you be doing?"

"Watching," Rachel replied.

A few seconds of silence.

"…I won't let you down," Elektor promised with a sure smile. "This'll be another amazing episode!"

At that, he walked away and toward the stage, where he'd be alerting everyone of the temporary role change.

And just half an hour later, the cameras were on, the lights were shining, the audience was trying to figure this out… and Elektor stood with the microphone, looking rather dang smooth in that tweed jacket.

"Hello, everybody! My name is Elektor, and welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" he beamed.

Most of the audience saw him as a familiar face and exploded into applause. However, the difference was not to be scoffed at.

In a mocking tone, he asked "'But Elektor, aren't you a behind-the-scenes kid?' 'Where's that bright hostess, Rachel?!'"

The audience either chattered the same questions or nodded.

"Our poor Rachel was attacked with the flu this week," Elektor explained. "She feels better now… but her voice is practically a lost cause."

A lot of the audience nodded, and there were some murmurs of "Ah, that explains it."

"If all goes well, we'll have her pretty voice back next Friday," he stated. "It must rest at this moment, though. Hence… me!"

Meanwhile, backstage, such flattery-like adjectives were putting a right-ol' smile on Rachel's face.

"We're here tonight to discuss the shipping of Knuckles and Sonia," Elektor continued. "I… I mean, I totally see it. Didn't Sonia kiss him once? Didn't they hold _hands_ once?! And their personalities seem like they'd go hand-in-hand, too. But let's get our guests out here to talk about this. Please welcome back to the stage… Mercury and Thorn!"

The audience molded back into its usual jubilant response as Mercury and Thorn waved and found their ways to their seats.

"Welcome back, guys!" Elektor smiled.

"Wait, this guy?" Mercury joked.

Some of the audience, joined by the three onstage and the one backstage, chuckled.

"But really, though, my condolences to Rachel," Mercury continued. "Hope she gets better soon."

"Me, too," Elektor nodded. "So… Knuckles and Sonia… Yay or nay?"

"Well…" said Mercury. "To my knowledge, they actually really liked each other. Knuckles had developed a crush on Sonia and she had the same thing happen toward him. Heck, when Knuckles disappeared, Sonia got so upset that she nearly cried. And if that's not kawaii enough, she even kissed him on the cheek… _and_ they held hands! Aww! But… I'll admit… Sonic is one of Knux's closest allies. Sonic, Sonia's brother. Wouldn't it be a bit weird if your closest ally liked you sister? I think so, too. Even still, they're a cute couple!"

Backstage, Rachel was smiling and nodding in total agreement.

"That does sound rather convincing," Elektor nodded. "Thorn? Your thoughts?"

"Well, they're both in the same color spectrum, to a certain degree!" Thorn responded. "So… I don't have much of a speech for this one, but I think the chance is rare of this working out. I have a gut feeling that this wouldn't go too well, based off of what I've seen."

A few seconds of silence.

"So… half and half, huh?" Elektor marveled. "Huh."

He stood.

"I guess not everyone sees it as a rainbow and lollipop fest," he shrugged. "Next week… wait… Oh, yeah! We discuss the shipping of Shadow and Sonia! Sonia hasn't quite left the picture yet! Hopefully, Rachel will be the one on this stage next week! We'll see you then!"

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you again, Oceanic Coral! The questions this week are as follows: Who do you think is the most underrated Sonic character? And overrated? I'd say the most underrated character is actually Silver. A lot of people laugh at him because of his supposed "pot-hair." I think I read that it's actually based off of a Japanese flower of some sort, by the way! That, and people usually mock him pretty bad… Overrated, I think, would have to go to… Rouge. I dunno, I just really don't like her, and other people do. She's kinda like a sex icon or whatever you'd call it, and I don't think enough people realize that.**

 **Author's casual discussion: I have something that I've always wondered, too: How did you readers figure out your usernames? As for me… Heh, this is an interesting story… Back when Quizilla was existent, my username was PrincessPeace, which I think was conceptualized for another site before that. I thought of it when my fictional crush was actually Super Mario, and I loved him so much that I thought of myself as Princess Peach. However, I didn't want to make my username that, so I changed one letter, removed the space, and saw that it came out to something cool. The 15 part didn't come about until I signed up for Fanfiction, and I think it was because PrincessPeace itself was already taken… and I was 15 at the time. There's my name's backstory!**


	39. Episode 38 (Shadow x Sonia)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for the OC and opinion! And thanks to the one known as "random gal" and Oceanic Coral for reviewing! You three… You three are the bringers of much of this little party's passion! And thanks to Oceanic Coral for next week's topic!**

* * *

"Yep," Rachel nodded, speaking into her cell phone with an almost completely functional voice. "…Alright, I understand… N-No, take a load off! You've done so much for me and this show! You deserve it!... Okay! Bye!"

She hung up the phone, looking up to see that Elektor was trying to pry something out of her with his eyes.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"That… was Mercury," Rachel explained. "She won't be on the show tonight because she's on an epic Spring Break vacation. Man… Sounds fun… My Spring Break isn't until the week after next. And I'll probably be spending it in that isolation chamber I call a home again… And I still have to go to college…"

At that, assuming that Elektor had nothing to say, she went on her way to the stage.

In reality, though, she was the highlight of the reel of thoughts that suddenly ran through Elektor's mind. Would it be a problem, he wondered, if he just… kinda… whisked her away to somewhere cool, to have a little Spring Break of their own? The thought was so tempting that such temptation should have been evil.

Ah, well. He'd think about it.

About 15 minutes later, the lights welcomed Rachel back to the stage with huge, open arms. Lights, camera… shippings.

"Yo, all you guys!" Rachel said, laughing a bit afterward. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Now, it was the applause's turn to welcome her back.

"Now, don't get me wrong," she continued.

Then, she coughed.

"I've still got a problem," she said. "But yo, for the most part, I've got my voice back! So this week, we're discussing the shipping of a warrior of the past and a rock star of the past… Nah, I kid, I'm pretty sure she's still doing pretty good, right?... Right? Shadow and Sonia… I feel as if they were just drawn from the pots and tossed together into a big fluff cloud. I'm not sure if you'd call it a crack shipping or what, but… you get what I'm going at. I don't really see any strength behind it, either. Shadow's a guy who likes to keep to himself, and Sonia's a fun-loving rock star! Their personalities are immediately a contradiction! So I personally don't see it. I pronounce this PUSC, or "Possible Under Specific Circumstances." This means that if something very specific were to happen, like they both had a similar type of story to share at the bar or something… it _could_ have a chance. That term only exists, though, because I refuse to believe that anything is impossible… most of the time. I only have one guest here with me, but she'll provide us with some insight. Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn!"

Thorn emerged from backstage and faced the applause like a pro as she went to her seat.

"Hi, Thorn!" Rachel greeted her, finding her own seat.

"Hey there!" Thorn replied.

"So… Shadow and Sonia…" said Rachel. "A blast into the light… or something that should forever be shoved back into the darkness?"

"Knuckles and Sonia would be weird for Sonic… but when you think about it, wouldn't this be as well?" Thorn replied. "The only difference is that it's his rival dating his sister. This, I MIGHT see this happening, mainly because of her personality, which I personally picture would charm him, and keep him in check if need be."

"Huh," said Rachel. "So you're seeing the 'opposites attract' theory coming into place."

"Yes, essentially," Thorn nodded.

"Huh," said Rachel.

She stood.

"Well, that's that for this week!" she announced. "Next week, we delve head-high into the comic universe again to talk about another female that Scourge has picked up… I think. Her name's Rosy. I know NOTHING about her, as it always is with my not-knowing self. We'll be talking about those two next week! See ya then!"

The cameras went off, and everyone went their own way. Luke's was out the door, and Rachel's was supposed to be that shortly after.

She couldn't even set hand on her coat, though, before Elektor called "Rachel, wait!" out to her.

"Huh?" Rachel reacted, turning to him. "Is something the matter?"

"…In a sense…" Elektor sighed. The blink of his eyes hid something. Something like sadness or something along those lines.

He took a step closer to her.

"Nothing in… particular," he stuttered. "I-It's just… I want you to stay for a bit."

His open eyes looked as if they were open books of pleas. But for what?

"How so?" was all that Rachel could think to ask.

"We go to different schools," said Elektor. "Yeah, we text… but seeing your words typed out into a silver speech bubble doesn't even begin to paint the real picture. Yeah, we call each other sometimes… b-but that way, I only get to hear your voice at a distorted quality. I-I… I miss you sometimes."

With red capped cheeks, Rachel cooed "Aww, you do?" Even after all this time, she still found it hard to wrap her head around.

"So much that it hurts," Elektor sighed. "I'm a little lonely. Even if it's just for a little bit… can we talk? About… just… stuff?"

So… Rachel wouldn't have to go home yet…

"I'd love to," she nodded. She was truly grateful for the opportunity. So much so that her heart was smiling a bit.

They sat across from each other on the couches. Elektor leaned forward a bit, resting his face on his hands.

"So what's new?" he asked.

"So I binge-watched, like, 9 episodes of Death Note today," Rachel answered.

And so, they strayed off into a little conversation of their own.

 ***Out near the parking lot***

Did anyone else realize that the next episode would be airing on April Fool's Day? Or was it just Luke?

Luke had the entire span of the parking lot for a little familiar thought to trickle up to his mind from his heart. It was just like a little fairy tale, but… he wondered about the actual likelihood.

What if a Sol Emerald suddenly turned up around here? Would he be able to tell the difference between that and that of Chaos? And if he did… If he did find a true Sol Emerald hiding under a shrub of leaves and realize its true identity… would he find its rightful princess? And if he did find its rightful princess… would she look upon him with a smile? And if she did look at him with a sweet smile on her face-

All of a sudden, the entirety of him was jolted by something that his foot had caught on. And no later than that, he face-planted on dampened grass.

He raised himself up with his arms and looked behind him. His mind had completely wandered from any sense of direction, thus causing him to trip on one of those concrete curb stop things.

Not late after he stood up, however, did he hear a strangely familiar voice ask "Hey, are you alright?" How familiar… he had no clue. The celebrity gossip constantly going around among Thoughts of the Unknown's stage crew might have done it. His visits to the studio were more likely to have done it, though.

Pretty soon, he saw a coat-clad Silver the Hedgehog walking up to him. Of course… he froze for a moment. He froze like an ice block that absolutely nothing else was anymore.

"Y-Y-Yeah, I…" he managed to respond, feeling as if his heart would stop as well. "I'm…"

"Hey, no need to be scared of me!" Silver chuckled, holding out his right hand. "I don't scratch! I'm Silver! I feel like I've seen you somewhere…"

"You… m-might have seen me once or twice around the studio," Luke replied, finally grabbing onto his bearings and shaking Silver's hand. "I'm Luke the Wolf, an intern at Thoughts of the Unknown!"

I'm Luke the Wolf, the lowlife who's in love with who everyone makes to be your best friend.

"Ooh, an intern?" Silver responded. "What's it like?"

"Elektor basically teaches me about techy stuff," Luke explained. "When to cut the signal, how to cut the signal, how and when to switch camera views… Oh, hey, I had to run in and cut the signal when Elektor just up and left once!"

"…You know, I think I remember that," Silver chuckled. "Well, it was great to meet you! You took quite a fall there…"

"Hey, you can't say your mind hasn't been elsewhere before!" said Luke.

"…My mind's been elsewhere a lot lately…" Silver realized aloud.

Elsewhere… somewhere and someone rather nearby, actually…

"Hey, is Rachel still at the studio?" he asked.

"She was getting ready to leave, but she never came out," Luke shrugged.

"Huh," said Silver.

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you again, Oceanic Coral! This week's question is as follows: What is your favorite Sonic TV show that's aired? Well… the only one I've seen was Sonic X, so… But I keep telling myself that I need to watch Sonic Boom!**


	40. Episode 39 (Scourge x Rosy)

**Props: Thank you to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, ZeroPhoenix230, and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions! Without you, this all would be a big pile of ash!**

* * *

Rachel walked back to the backstage area with a cool sort of relief washing through her. Whilst breathing a sigh of said relief, she crumpled up a mysterious piece of cardboard and tossed it into the nearby wastebasket, not being able to control a wide smile that marked some sort of great accomplishment. A sweat-glazed marker was also snugly fit in her right hand.

All of a sudden, she felt the heartbeat-like vibrations from her pocket that only signified a phone call. She withdrew her phone and answered it, seeing that it was Mercury.

"Hey!" she beamed.

However, all Mercury gave in response from the other side was an "I'm sorry…"

The fear rushing through Rachel's veins was unreal.

"M-Mercury?!" she panicked. "What's wrong?"

"I just… I-I won't be doing the show with you anymore," Mercury replied. "I'm just not as interested as I used to be."

"…W-Well…" Rachel shook, trying to digest and prepare for the incoming loss. "If you really think it's best…"

This couldn't be happening…

And now someone flung the door open?! What next?

Oh… She looked to find that the one standing there in a dramatic pose, with a cell phone in her hand and Elektor staring in from behind her… was Mercury.

"NOPE!" she smiled. "April Fools to you, friend!"

Both she and Elektor immediately busted into a fit of laughter as they walked inside and shut the door. Just two seconds later, and Rachel was able to do the same.

"…You freakin' got me," she admitted. "I've been on my best guard today… I kept thinking I was the only one who knew what today was… and yet, I end up being pranked for the second time."

"Good to know your gullible complex isn't completely guarded!" Elektor laughed.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "…But for the first time in what must be around 10 years, _I've_ got a plan of attack."

"Ooh, really?" asked Mercury. "Tell us! Tell us!"

"When the show airs, you'll notice that each seat has a sticky note with a different word attached to it," Rachel began. "There's your abstract."

At that, she walked away. Of course, both Mercury and Elektor were left hanging on a heart-pounding state of suspense.

About half an hour later, the cameras flipped on, and so did the energy onstage. Only about 40% of the audience was invested in her opening words, needless to say.

"What's going on, all?" she asked. "And welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

This was the first time in her entire career that she could say she wasn't cheered over… but talked over. Of course, while it did strike her as a little rude at first, she realized that it was to be expected.

"Those sticky notes on your chairs," she sighed. "That's for a little thing I have set up for the end of the show tonight. So stay tuned!"

At that, most of the audience was able to nod and quiet down.

"Welcome yourselves back to the Archie universe, because that's where we sleep tonight! Or for the next few minutes," said Rachel. "Let's talk about some chick Scourge picked up to make up the pairing of Scourge and Rosy. I regret to inform you all that I am absolutely lacking of any opinion this week because Rosy is a stranger to me. I'm not sure if she'd end up as a helpless victim or the perfect soulmate with Scourge. I really can't say. Can our three guests say, though? I really need their help, so let's get them out here! Please welcome back to the stage… Mercury, Thorn, and Obsidian Prime!"

There was a swell of awe when Obsidian Prime's name was announced. As with every week, there was bound to be a few newcomers… and wherever they were, they were gawking at the guests, especially Obsidian, as they made their way to their seats.

"Happy April, guys!" Rachel smiled, finding her own seat. "…Help me. Thorn, let's start with you. Is this Cupid's or Satan's work?"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Thorn began. "Rosy the Rascal and Scourge the Hedgehog? Ohhh no. Not ever… unless Rosy was changed in some sort of _drastic_ fashion. When Amy gives Sonic 'death hugs,' the quotes are justified. With Rosy to Scourge… they'd be better defined as hugs of death… with no quotes."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "So it wouldn't work… because… Huh. Alright. Obsidian? What do you think?"

"Rosy is insane… safely comparable to a standard anime girl," Obsidian explained. "To heck with them. They'd make a bad-guy combination that would send shivers down _Eggman's_ spine. Hurricane-aftermath quality at best."

"…I'm getting mixed messages here," Rachel stated. "So it wouldn't work… because Rosy gives deadly hugs and because they'd make a formidable duo?"

"Well, Rosy tried to kill Sonic-" Thorn tried to interject.

"Which, in theory, would make Scourge like her even more, correct?" Rachel argued. "…Sorry for interrupting. Mercury, what are your thoughts?"

"…Naw," said Mercury. "Rosy's basically a psychopathic version of Amy-"

"Isn't Amy psychopathic herself?" asked Thorn.

"I mean, yeah… but…" Mercury continued. "Then you have Scourge, who's an evil and twisted version of Sonic. On paper, their personalities look similar. That, however, is hardly the case. Scourge can be crazy… indeed, that is true… but that is NOTHING beside Rosy's crazy. So she doesn't belong with anyone, not even Scourge."

"There's gotta be someone just as crazy, if not more crazy, than her out there… right?" asked Rachel, feeling that there's-someone-for-everyone value kicking in.

"Doubt it," Mercury shrugged.

"Huh," said Rachel. "So… this is a no-go?"

"No-go," said Thorn.

"Alright," Rachel sighed.

She stood.

"Now… studio audience," she announced, trying with all her strength to weaken the growing smile on her face. "As for those sticky notes… take yours and stand."

Everyone obeyed, and the next 30 seconds filled the room with foot shuffling and mysterious chatter.

"Walk around and find the other person whose sticky note has the same word as yours," Rachel explained. "We'll be doing a sort of soulmate-esque cultivation with these partnerships you find. And… go!"

Then, the room was filled with excited chatter. Realizing how long the verdict could take to be reached, Rachel switched off her microphone and sat back down in her chair.

A full 10 minutes went by. In that full ten minutes, it was taking all the blood in Rachel's head to remain nonchalant. The night's guests, however, were spending most of that time trying to read through what little of a smile there was. It didn't take long for Mercury to realize that there was something to say about this.

Also, in that full 10 minutes, the chatter grew louder and more confused. Why?

Because everyone's word was different. There were no partnerships being made.

It took a full 10 minutes for someone to shout out "Hey! Everyone's word is different! We're not finding anyone!"

And just like that, several more angry shouts of the same caliber rang out.

With a mix of fear and anticipation, Rachel switched her microphone back on, then stood and laughed "Alright, alright. Quiet down, and I'll explain."

To her shock, most of the audience went completely silent.

"Indeed," Rachel nodded. "It's a good thing you're finding that… because that's what I'd planned all along."

Some of the audience got an early hold on the rope.

"See…" Rachel continued, purposefully letting go of her composure. "Those sticky notes are freakin' useless."

She pointed dramatically at the audience.

"For the first time in 10 years," she laughed. "I've done some April Fooling!"

While a few up there were considerably angry, most of them sent out disgruntled cries of "Aww!", and a considerable portion, joined by the show's guests, busted out into good ol' laughter.

"Anyway," said Rachel. "Next week… we discuss a shipping that's merely the blooming coming from the bud known as best friendship. There's a lot of those… one that's practically ruined my life… but this one would be cute! Shadow and Maria! Two space-living buddies! I'll see you all then!"

Everyone went their separate ways… in part because Elektor got the instinct to call a security guard out to the stage after the audience was let loose.

And when Rachel walked backstage, she was greeted with the most satisfying piece of laughter she'd heard all year. Coming from Elektor's mouth. All because of her.

"That was… beautiful," he told her, wiping a tear from his eye (supposedly fake… but there was actually something there, definitely).

"Thank you," Rachel smiled. "And… tell the janitors-"

"Nah, I'm having Luke and the stage crew guys take care of it," Elektor replied. "The janitors are our buddies. And I have yet to expose Luke to that sort of 'get me a coffee' intern work. It's only been useful stuff so far."

This made Rachel laugh, which in turn, got a couple of chuckles out of Elektor. Laugh or be laughed at. Such was April 1st, 2016.

* * *

 **To Oceanic Coral: You seriously freakin' got me, though. Don't worry one bit; that was great!**

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you, Oceanic Coral! The question this week is this: What's your favorite plot from a Sonic game? I… *snickers* I gotta say… Sonic '06.** _ **I**_ **personally think that it captured my attention because it's just that right amount of elaborate and touching. I could go on a whole rant about it, but… I honestly don't think it'd be good for me.**


	41. Episode 40 (Shadow x Maria)

**Props: Thanks go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions, and to tekinaFICTION for the OC. And to Oceanic Coral for next week's topic! And to the one known as "TheReviewTravele" for the interesting idea! Speaking of which…**

 **Note to tekinaFICTION: I regret to inform you that I can't exactly feature Echo on the show this week. She will be talked about, for sure, but not "present." This is partly my fault because I wasn't able to remind you in time about the following crucial thing… In order for an OC to be featured and present on the show, I need their opinion about the week's shipping topic. Everything else was perfect, though! With an opinion on next week's topic (which, spoiler alert, is Sonic and Maria this time), Echo is guaranteed a spot!**

* * *

Rachel walked into the studio to find that the environment was just as bustling as it usually would be about 45 minutes before the start of the show.

However, the twinge of pain coming from her leg that encouraged her to lift it a bit was a bit unusual. Perfectly explainable, but out of the ordinary.

Elektor, who was walking back from onstage, caught wind of this and cocked his head while asking "Did I miss the memo that it was National Flamingo Day?"

"No, that's not until the 23rd of June," Rachel replied, quoting a Youtube video she'd watched with lunch. "I… I just need you to hope my knee gets soon."

"Well, what happened to yours?" Elektor asked, walking up to her. "I sprained mine when you hoped for it to get soon."

"We're pretty sure I smashed mine," Rachel replied, limping over to the nearest couch. "There's apparently not much you can do about it."

"How the hell did you do that?!" Elektor asked, the concern clearly lacing his vocal cords.

"I did get a life experience out of it, though," Rachel explained. "So, you know I still had to go to my college classes this week despite it being my high school spring break, right?"

"Yeah," Elektor nodded.

"On Wednesday, they had this huge Spring Fling thing," Rachel continued. "They had a table with free chicken, free chips, free cookies, free candy, free soda… and in the neighboring classroom, they'd brought those huge inflatable spheres that you can climb into and run into other people with. In short… I was bumped to fall onto my knees. Bedtime story of a lifetime, right? I knew there was a reason they made us sign waivers before we walked in."

She got up.

"All in all, I don't regret it one bit," she shrugged. "It's getting better, and I wear the darkest bruise I've ever gotten with pride."

She went to walk onstage.

"Oh, hey!" Elektor stopped her. "You heard about our newest guest, right?"

"I talked to Echo yesterday!" Rachel beamed. "She seems really nice!"

"Part of me can't believe she's only 8," said Elektor. "And an actual clone of Sonic. She said she couldn't make it this week, but will see if she can make next week's show."

"I seriously cannot wait to meet her," said Rachel. "You know… We meet so many people who've seen so many things. How are we blessed with so much of an honor?"

"We're a show that's been on the air for close to a year," Elektor shrugged. "That's all I can say."

And close to an hour later, the now-normalized studio was bustling about with its usual audience, and the pride that Rachel wore on her bruise was also in her smile as the cameras flipped on.

"Heyo, you lovely people!" Rachel greeted them all. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown! This week, we're discussing what I would consider to be one of the healthiest-budded flowers out there: a shipping brewed from the fumes of best friendship. The promiser who nobody seems to know for sure, and the girl who gave this promiser the promise with which to skate along on his course. Shadow and Maria. Now… me, personally… If these two had had the time to spend with each other to the point where they did become a couple, I'd say that while many people would wonder what sort of messed-up a human would be to get with a hedgehog, the rest… those with open minds… would back it heartily. They cared for each other to no end, and that's what drives true love, people. Maria's death shook Shadow up to the point where life appears to be no more than a bruised canvas. That goes to show that she was doing something to him. In short, I totally see it… but apparently, there are valid points as to why they could be creating a total disaster that way. Let's get the views of a couple of beloved guests of ours… Mercury and Thorn, welcome back to the stage!"

The crowd erupted into applause as the two veterans made their ways to their seats.

"And I'd also like to formally introduce a guest who will be appearing on the show soon enough," Rachel said, sitting down. "She may be young, but do not let that fool you. Her name is Echo the Hedgehog, and she seems really excited to get to join our cast!"

"Well, I hope she really enjoys it here!" Mercury beamed. "I know I do!"

After a giggle of appreciation, Rachel went on "This week, we've got the ARK duo on our plate. Mercury, let's start with you. Is this a shooting star or an ugly ol' asteroid?"

"…No… no… and NO to this," Mercury replied. "Shadow and Maria should never, ever be a couple. Who even created this?"

"Who didn't create this?" Thorn asked.

"I mean, there are stories all over the place that have Maria revived, but as a hedgehog," Mercury went on. "But even that doesn't make it okay for me. They've always been depicted as friends. Maria was like a sister to Shadow."

"That's how they all begin, though," Rachel argued, feeling the evidence welling up at the back of her throat.

"But even when you see them together in the Ark, it's obvious that they cared for each other," Mercury said. "But definitely not romantically! They belong as friends and nothing more. 'Nuff said."

In fact, Rachel would've brought up the great point of "But that could perfectly lay out the red carpet for something more in the future!" It was true… but she swallowed that little folder of evidence that welled up in the back of her throat because she admired Mercury's courage. She _envied_ it, as a matter of fact. Because when it all comes down to it, at this very moment and perhaps one other, they were both seeing the exact same battle between what was right and what their hearts longed for.

"I see," Rachel nodded.

She stood.

"Echo, we really hope to see you here next week…" she announced. "…When we're keeping Maria on the plate and replacing Shadow with the blue blur who's probably never seen her in his entire life. Apparently, Sonic and Maria is a thing, and we'll see how that pans out! See ya then!"

As the cameras shut off and everyone went on their own way, Rachel felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around… and looked up… to see that a moose with a hopeful gleam in his eyes was awaiting her reaction.

"H-Hi…" he greeted her. "I'm Meefo."

"Great to meet you, Meefo," Rachel stuttered a little herself, holding out her hand and having it shook.

"I just have a question that's been on the minds of me and my friends," Meefo explained. "It's my birthday today, and they got me a ticket for tonight as a present, so I finally get to ask."

"Oh, well, happy birthday!" Rachel smiled.

"Thank you," Meefo blushed a bit. "But this question is… and my friends are going to lose it when they find out I got to ask this to your face… Do you ever get any odd requests from your fans?"

"Maybe once in a while," Rachel shrugged. "Actually, I got one just last week… Well, it's not so much odd, but oddly genius. It was suggested that I get all the guests, Blaze, Silver, Sonic, Shadow, and Elektor together so that we can complete Sonic 06 together."

"Wait, seriously?" popped a voice, which turned out to be Mercury's based on the head that had emerged from the curtain.

"I saw that," Elektor laughed, popping his head out through the curtain as well. "Part of me REALLY wants to do that!"

"Me too," Rachel nodded. "But-"

"But…" Mercury sighed. "The butt of every plan."

"Getting everyone to do it would be a bit much," Rachel explained. "For them… Silver and Blaze, especially… it might trigger some bad PTSD or something along those lines. I get the feeling that Sonic 06 is something that they all want to forget. And getting Shadow to do much of ANYTHING would might as well require a diamond from Mobius's inner core."

"Could a Chaos Emerald do it?" Thorn asked, popping her head through the curtain below those of Mercury and Elektor.

"I dunno if it'll really be that hard," said another voice, which turned out to come from the above balcony and be Luke's. "Mercury's got something that's giving him flames of a warm fire."

"W-Woah, where'd you… hear that?!" asked Mercury, her heart doing two simultaneous marathons.

"Tabloids," said Luke. "Someone got to interview an agent of Rouge's, and that agent said she heard that from an agent of Sonic's, who heard it from an agent of Shadow's."

"All that aside," Rachel pressed. "I HAVE Sonic 06, with the Sonic campaign completed and the Shadow campaign being worked on… but nobody wants to fix my Xbox 360. Someone would have to fix it… and I'd owe them ten hugs… or someone else would have to bring one."

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thanks much, Oceanic Coral! The question this week is as follows: How much Sonic merchandise do you own, if any? Well, I first got a Sonic fleece blanket with Sonic on it that's currently acting as a makeshift curtain. Then, I bought a poster with some of the cast. Then, I won Sonic and Shadow plushies at carnivals. Then, I got a Silver plushie for a late Christmas gift, and I was never so squealy about a Christmas gift before then. Literally… I was sitting in the living room, playing a video game I'd gotten for Christmas, when my mother suddenly exclaimed "I forgot to wrap a present." Wouldn't you know it, one of my biggest wishes was the late one! I was so happy!**

 **Author's note: I'm not naming names, because this has happened numerous times, but I feel that I must remind all you potential newcomers. I need who your OC is, who that OC's love interest is (if any), and what they think of the shipping to be addressed in the next upcoming show. It's been a while since I've stated this, I guess. Newcomers are definitely welcome!**


	42. Episode 41 (Sonic x Maria)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and DrawingWords-WritingPictures (who previously went under the name of tekina-FICTION) for the OCs and opinions. Again, fans like you LITERALLY mean everything to this weekly thing! Thank you so much!**

* * *

"…Hey, Elektor?" Rachel asked as she came back from onstage.

"Yeah?" asked Elektor, who was munching on a sandwich by the door to his office.

"You ever find your day instantly laced with sadness when you find out that one of your favorite Youtubers' cats passed away?" asked Rachel. "I've had that happen twice this year. One of the cats passed away on Sunday."

"…You ask me as if you think that's strange," Elektor replied through his sandwich. "Those cats become just as much of a part of your family as the Youtubers do."

Rachel sighed before asking "…You know Gibson, from the Talking Kitty videos?"

"HIM?!" Elektor exclaimed, nearly losing grasp of his sandwich. "No way…"

"My words exactly," Rachel sighed again. "He played a crucial part in the videos, too. He saw his kittens being born shortly before he died, though. Therefore, he lives on."

"…You lie," said Elektor.

"Steve's got a memorial video up on the channel," Rachel shrugged. Then, she walked away.

"Seriously?" was all that Elektor could muster for the next minute and a half.

Half an hour later, the studio was bustling on its usual buzz. That buzz that somehow managed to make everything better.

"Well… What's up?" Rachel asked her audience, both at the studio and any obligation-free residence you can think of. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience greeted this welcoming with an applause that had become like nectar to Rachel, the hostess speaking about on that polished wooden stage.

"This week, we're discussing…" she began. "We're discussing the _shipping_ of two people that have never met, and probably will never meet unless some sort of supernatural hoopla happens again… and it would not be the first time. Sonic and Maria. Wouldn't you believe it? I dunno… Even if Maria was alive and everybody's friend, I don't see her and Sonic ever seeing anything click. Now, if I may… When I was watching Sonic X every morning, I saw Sonic going on mini-adventures with this girl named Helen. If I remember… didn't Helen kinda look like Maria?"

A short spur of wonder waved over the audience.

"Didn't she?" Rachel continued. "I dunno. This just reminded me of that. Long story short… they definitely wouldn't have anything now because Maria's unfortunately dead, and even if she wasn't, they haven't met. Even if they had, I… I-It really boils down to that unexplainable chemistry. Its absence, more specifically. For once… I don't see it. But what do our guests think? First, let's welcome a returner to the stage. Please welcome back… Thorn!"

The audience cheered about as the familiar Thorn found her way to her seat.

"We also have a newcomer with us tonight!" Rachel beamed. "Appearances and ages can fool with the ease of a quill's swipe, but this young lady hides so much more than can meet the eye. These things include a slate of deadpan snarks, a heart full of kindness, and eerie maturity. Please welcome to the stage… Echo the Hedgehog!"

A new sort of energy bloomed from corners of this round of applause… but that temporarily made way for a few gasps of awe as the audience was stricken by Echo's similarity to Sonic. This had great reason, but it wasn't necessarily a story worthy of being told over campfire and marshmallows. Her fur appeared to be the same shade of blue, her eyes being the same emerald green. However, it wasn't without what WASN'T Sonic's, including her ghostly-white skin and the half-ponytail that her quills were arranged in. She donned a long coat with a red hood and white accents, which draped over a black crop top. Navy shorts went down to her knees, and these were under a white belt that had a ring on it. Her footwear looked almost exactly like Sonic's, except that they were boots rather than shoes.

She found her way to her seat… not seeming too sure as to how to react to the attention.

"Welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown, Echo!" Rachel smiled, holding out her hand. "We always manage to have a great time here!"

As Echo shook Rachel's hand, Thorn added "We're like a family."

"Thank you for having me," Echo responded.

"Now, I'm going to ask you a question that may seem a bit alarming," Rachel explained. "I ask this to anyone who appears here for the first time. Feel free to keep your answer to yourself if you wish, but feel free to express it if you wish. I've expressed my answer to the same question before."

"Go on, then!" said Echo.

"Alright… Echo…" Rachel asked. "…Do you have any sort of romantic interest in any of the Sonic the Hedgehog crew?"

Thorn gave a small and subtle chuckle.

"Hmm…" Echo responded without a thought. "Nah. Not really."

Even with the burning desire to question her certainty, Rachel answered "Alright. So… as for the topic this week… Sonic and Maria. The blue blur and the blue blur's 'rival's' best friend. Is this a beautiful blue sky or is this the gust to take the entire city down?"

"Basically… Does it rock or does it suck?" Thorn explained.

"I got 'cha," said Echo. "Well… I doubt that time travel could even make this a reality. Imagining this is basically imagining a nice elderly woman with a snarky hedgehog, if you think about it. And even if it was like the fanfics… if she was alive and young… I don't think Sonic would get very far before getting his face pounded in by Maria's practical brother, Shadow. If Sonic and Maria were together, it has the potential to rip their lives to shreds. I even asked around before I arrived here tonight; my friends and the sane fanbase do not want this to happen for their own sakes. It's a double-edged sword for me. My original male self, dating a human female, in a sense. Well… I'll grow up even faster."

Even Rachel knew there was a lot more about Echo's story that she still had yet to get through her skull. It was clearly even more so for the chattering audience.

"Makes sense," Rachel said. "All because of Shadow? Like… if Shadow weren't there, would they not have to worry about the destructive middle man? Hmm… Alright, Thorn, what are your thoughts?"

"Well… ah… no," Thorn responded. "Just… no. For one, they never knew and don't know each other well enough to become a romantic thing. For two, even if they did get the time to know each other, Maria would never fall in love with him. And for three, I think Shadow would have something… rather someTHINGS to say about this. If he were to hear us right now, he'd probably want to shout at all our faces."

"Probably live, too," Rachel chuckled. "With no craps to be given. That'd amuse me. Anyway, the general consensus is-"

"No," Thorn finished Rachel's sentence.

She pointed to herself.

"No."

She pointed to Echo.

"And no."

Rachel pointed at herself, saying "And no."

She stood.

"Sonic and Maria should NOT be a thing," she announced. "We, as a trio, have vetoed the bill. Next week, we'll get another one to look at… and this one, I kinda smile at! Next week, let's have a look at Vector and Vanilla! I'll see you all then!"

As everyone scattered on their own merry ways, both Thorn and Echo walked up to Rachel.

"This was fun!" Echo beamed. "I could imagine myself coming back."

"Glad to hear it!" said Rachel. "You're welcome back!"

As Echo skipped away, Thorn said "Just so you know… I… I-I can bring my Xbox 360. Incase you were still thinking-"

"Yeah, I'm still thinking on it," Rachel replied. "It's tempting… but oh-so-scary at the same time…"

* * *

 **Author's note: I realized that it might be a good idea to set a rough weekly deadline for responses, so that less people will end up being left out. I'd say that if you want to be guaranteed a spot on the upcoming show, make sure your response (or OC and response if you're a newcomer) is in by 3pm every Friday. I never know if I might end up writing the episode much earlier than usual, but I usually write after I eat dinner (it's that way with every of my fanfics), which could be as early as 3pm or as late as 10pm. My schedule has no craps to give.**


	43. Episode 42 (Vector x Vanilla)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, DrawingWordsWritingPictures, and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. I cannot stress this enough: You all are the pillars keeping this production alive!**

 **Reason for lateness: Story time! So I found out on Thursday that I was going to get to go to a concert the next day that I previously thought we weren't going to be able to afford. So I went, had a blast… didn't get home till 2 o' clock in Saturday's morning and would've passed out anyway. I deeply apologize for this and whenever else it may happen!**

* * *

"Honestly, I feel a little disrespected," Rachel said to Elektor while they both carried chairs out to the stage.

"Why's that?" asked Elektor.

"We're only here once a week," Rachel explained. "That tree-cutting company had 6/7 of possible time to make that planet-shattering racket, yet they chose the 1/7 that was crucial to us."

"Sucks that there was nothing we could do about it," Elektor sighed. "That noise would've drowned you out completely, so I just decided that it'd be best if we postponed it until today. Do you realize how angry I was in airing the commercial to announce that?"

"Crap happens," Rachel shrugged.

Just 15 minutes later, the slightly thinner crowd gazed upon the stage as the cameras flipped on.

"It's a miracle!" Rachel sang.

Some of the audience chuckled a bit.

"Indeed, we're all alive after that… 'terrible' tree incident of 2016," Rachel joked. "Freakin' companies must be deaf to not care less about how much noise they make."

The laughter from the audience was slightly more solid.

"Anyway, now that we're here… Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed. "Yeah, that's why you're here now instead of yesterday. You would've gotten nothing but an earful of…"

She then impersonated a chainsaw. The audience laughed a bit again in understanding.

"This week," she continued. "We're discussing one of those shippings that it seems even SEGA ships. The musical agency leader and a kind mother. Vector and Vanilla, everyone. Well… what more can I say about it? I mean, I guess I could go on about how I see it as no more than a decent adult man being wooed by the mere beauty of a woman. Then again, I haven't seen Sonic X in literally years, technically, so it could have been how sweet she is… Well, whatever it is, everyone seems to see it, and so do I. You can't argue with the facts."

She sighed.

"Anyway, we've got three guests with us today," she said. "And one… wait for it… is a newcomer!"

The audience gasped in anticipation for a bit.

"First, let's get our returners out here," said Rachel. "Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn and Echo!"

The audience applauded the two ladies as they made their ways to their seats.

"As for our newcomer…" Rachel announced. "She's one bundle of fun-loving kindness that's really excited to be here! I'd hope so, anyway. Please give a warm first welcome… to Sarah the Hedgehog!"

The audience smiled and applauded as Sarah made her way onstage and paced to her seat. Her fur was a snow white, dashed with crimson stripes in some places similar to how Shadow's fur is. Her eyes were the color of a darker flame, being a striking red-orange. Her quills looked sorta like Sonic's, except for the fact that the bottom two pointed upward. She donned dark blue jeans, a blue-green hoodie, sneakers that were a striped blue and white, and two inhibitor rings on her wrists. Her gloves were white with dark-blue star symbols.

"Welcome to our little shindig, Sarah!" Rachel greeted her as she sat down.

"It's really great to be here!" Sarah replied.

"Now, to begin," said Rachel. "I'm going to ask you a question, okay?"

"…About Vector and Vanilla?" Sarah asked in response.

Thorn couldn't help but smile a little bit in amusement.

"We'll get to that one in a Sonic minute," said Rachel. "This is a question I always ask Thoughts of the Unknown first-timers. Feel free to keep your answer quiet if you choose, because I fully understand the nature of the question."

"Well, what's the question?" asked Sarah.

"Do you, or do you not, have a crush on any of the Sonic cast?" asked Rachel. "If it makes you feel better, I do, and it's hopeless. Absolutely hopeless."

Thorn gave a laugh of pure amusement, fully knowing what Rachel was talking about.

"No, I don't," Sarah said, almost a little too calmly.

"Alright," Rachel shrugged. "I understand. Let's get your opinion first, on Vector and Vanilla. So tell me… Is this a sunshiney tomorrow or a trainwreck?"

"In other words…" said Thorn. "Does it rock or does it suck?"

"H-Honestly…" Sarah replied, shifting a bit. "I… think it could work. Vector and Vanilla are both generally friendly people. And if you think about it… with him having to take care of Charmy… h-he already has some experience with children."

Some of the audience burst out into an enthusiastic roar of laughter and applause.

"So…" Rachel asked. "Are you talking about with Cream, or… the future?"

"Cream could use a fatherly figure," Sarah smiled. "I'm talking about Cream."

"It could go the other way as well," Thorn laughed. "Face it."

"Please go on, Sarah," said Rachel.

"I don't have too much more to say," said Sarah. "I personally think Vector fits that role."

"You know, I think so, too," Rachel replied. "I would just be afraid that Vector wouldn't necessarily _want_ to deal with children. Then again… That brings back the mystery of how Charmy was hired into the agency in the first place. But that's for another time. Thorn, your thoughts?"

"It's alright… I guess?" Thorn replied. "I have some mixed feelings about this… the greedy crocodile that's head of a poorly-functioning detective agency and a kind rabbit who's a single mother… In plenty of ways, this is a good shipping, but in many other ways, it's disgusting. I'm on the fence."

"Alright," said Rachel. "And Echo! What do you think?"

"I actually do support Vector and Mrs…." Echo began. "…Excuse me, Ms. Vanilla together. T-The crocodile is quite kind. If your case is serious, the Chaotix Detective Agency will not charge! Which is exactly what happened when Cream went missing! I also see them smiling and talking together. Hmm… But oh well. Charmy told me once that he saw them walking together. And Cream would likely benefit from a stepfather soon…"

"Wait one second," said Thorn. "You know Charmy?!"

"That's so cool!" Rachel beamed. "I'll bet he's a great buddy, albeit a little energized."

Rachel stood.

"Well, that's that for this week!" she announced. "We've decided that this shipping looks good, for the most part! Throughout this entire discussion, I think I felt myself leaning more in favor of it!"

"You're welcome!" Echo smiled.

"Next week!" said Rachel. "Next week…"

She laughed a laugh that most would realize was stifled fear.

"Holy crap, these two would kill each other if put in a room alone…" she explained. "Let alone in a relationship. Crack if I've ever seen it. You guys ready for this?"

She was pretty sure the audience was soon to get annoyed with the suspense. It was herself she had to prepare.

After taking a huge breath that seemed to do nothing at all, she stated "…Amy and Blaze."

The audience then exploded into chatter of speculation.

"Look, they were paired together for a thing, so it's clearly a thing somewhere," Rachel sighed. "See you all next week, hopefully on Friday."


	44. Episode 43 (Amy x Blaze)

**Props: Thanks goes out to Hedgehogwriter07, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, DrawingWordsWritingPictures, and iCosmix for the OCs and opinions! I've noticed a lot of newcomers introducing themselves lately… That's interesting, and great! Thank you all so much!**

 **Reason for lateness: I was absorbed in schoolwork yesterday, and by the time I was done… to be totally honest with you all… I was entirely too burnt out to do much of anything, let alone write. Again, extremely sorry for the delay!**

* * *

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little bit as she watched Elektor glue his nose to the door's window, then open said door and scan every inch of the outside world.

"Granted, I can't say I'm completely at ease," she said. "But law enforcement said the coast is clear!"

Elektor turned around and argued "That was this morning! That was, like, 3 hours ago!"

Rachel just shrugged, got up, and walked toward the stage.

About 15 minutes later, an even thinner crowd was sprinkled among the seats in front of the stage. Rachel noticed that she didn't even have to speak as loudly as usual.

"WELCOME ABOARD THE SHIP TRAIN!" she said, cringing at how loud she sounded. "…And welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Whoever was there seemed to feel the same empty pressure and cheered their lungs out. In hopes of sounding like there were no spaces here at all.

"This week, we've got a whopping 4 guests!" she announced. "And… heh… hope you all never get tired of surprises, cause one's a newcomer!"

Some of the audience laughed, in a proud sort of way. The show was noticing new traffic as of late.

"First… wait, what the hell are we talking about this week?" Rachel continued. "We are talking about the shipping of the pink and purple blurs… actually the two girliest colors one could think of, now that I think about it… Amy and Blaze. You know, it's interesting… When I think of these two, I think of a cat-hedgehog fight that could destroy an entire banquet hall."

She laughed.

"This is like if someone shipped Sonic and Eggman!" she chuckled. "Like I said last week, I think these two would both turn out severely injured if put into a room together. Well, Blaze could possibly be a little more injured. Because, if I'm correct… they both kinda like Sonic. Is that right?"

She could barely hear someone from the audience reply "Seems like it."

She then sighed. Reasons.

"So… anyway…" she continued. "We've got 4 guests tonight… or today, I should say. You all saw that a pack of cops was here last night? Apparently, Eggman Nega and a fleet of his robots were seen here."

Some of the audience shifted uncomfortably.

"We wouldn't be here if the 'all clear' wasn't given… which wasn't given until this morning," Rachel explained. "Stay safe, everyone! Anyway, let's get our returning guests out here! Say hello again to Sarah, Thorn, and Echo!"

What was left of the crowd applauded as the three happy guests made their ways out to their seats.

"Our newcomer today is another cool and happy soul that's happy to be here!" Rachel smiled. "Give a round of applause to our newest guest… Ray the Porcupine!"

The applause grew a hair louder as said Ray the Porcupine introduced himself to the crowd. He had red fur, the same red spiky hair, a white muzzle and body, and a thin black nose that sat under electrifying green eyes. He also donned azure goggles and grey and white sneakers that looked strikingly like Sonic's.

As he found his seat, Rachel also found hers. However, as soon as she sat down, her mind became fogged with other sorts of thoughts… for what must have been the 20th time that day.

"Um… R-Rachel?" asked Thorn. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Rachel responded, being jerked out of that trance by Thorn's words. "O-Oh, I spaced out, didn't I?"

"You looked like your brain had just derped," said Thorn.

"And a little sad, too…" said Echo. "Miss Rachel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rachel smiled, like an older sister to a tiny little sister. "Now…"

Meanwhile, Elektor, who obviously had a clear shot of everything, knew that that was absolute bullcrap.

"Amy and Blaze," sighed Rachel. "…Sarah, let's go to you first. Is there another side to this, or am I literally looking at a cat-hedgehog fight engraved into destiny?"

"In other words," Thorn whispered to Ray, who looked slightly puzzled. "Does it rock or does it suck?" Ray nodded in understanding.

"Blaze and Amy, huh?" Sarah responded. "A pyrokinetic cat and a hammer-wielding hedgehog. Interesting match… but I personally don't think it would work. I'm not against homosexuals or anything. It's just that this pair doesn't sit right with me. Amy can have a pretty short temper, and I've seen Blaze mad once. I feel like this relationship would see a lot of disagreements, which would all fold over into explosive arguments. So… no. I don't believe this would ever happen."

"…Yeah, I see that," Rachel said, feeling herself starting to space out again. "Thorn? Your thoughts?"

"Oh… no," said Thorn. "I don't exactly think this would work… Amy is a bit too hot-headed in comparison to Blaze's levelheadedness. And Amy is also a bit too protective, as you can see she is toward Sonic. Though Blaze, like Sonic, enjoys her freedom. So no, in my view, it wouldn't work."

"I think the same thing," Rachel nodded. "Echo? What are you thinking?"

"The speculation you made last week of them 'killing each other if put in a room alone' is very accurate," said Echo. "Killed with fire."

"So Blaze would be doing the killing?" asked Ray.

"Literally," said Echo. "I am also not against homosexuals… I actually support them… But Amy and Blaze's personalities just have chemistry capable of breaking the universe."

"Like a chemistry experiment that literally explodes," Rachel suggested. The guests, and some of the audience, laughed.

"Yup!" said Echo. "Sir Blaze isn't the romantic one and doesn't believe in Amy's feminine ways. I've seen her groan at her attention to Sonic."

She then mumbled something under her breath, and Rachel could only make out the words "against" and "either." She then cleared her throat.

"And Amy's temper _screams_ the word 'war'. So a relationship between Sir Blaze and Amy would literally end up in flames, so to speak."

"Excuse me," said Ray. "… _Sir_ Blaze?"

"She could have gotten that from Sonic and the Black Knight," Rachel said. "Blaze doesn't like being called a princess."

Ray sat back, still looking slightly confused.

"And Ray!" Rachel beamed. "…Ah crap, I almost forgot. I should've asked you this before."

"What's that?" asked Ray.

"Alright…" said Rachel. "This is a question I always ask Thoughts of the Unknown newcomers. Feel free to keep your answer quiet if you'd like. I'll understand."

Ray just gave her a look that shouted "And this question is?"

"Ray…" said Rachel, almost like she was having someone take an oath. "Do you, or do you not, have a crush on any of the Sonic characters?"

"Oh!" Ray smiled. "To be totally honest… I used to kinda have a thing for Amy."

"Really?" asked Thorn, clearly amused.

"I've gotten over that," Ray continued. "And now, I just date other simpletons. Simpletons like us."

"That's a great attitude!" Rachel laughed. "I should probably take that up…"

Somewhere backstage, Elektor was trying to wrap his head around why her saying that made his heart leap through his ribs.

"Anyway, Ray," Rachel continued. "Amy and Blaze. Yea or nay?"

"It would work… under certain circumstances," Ray explained.

Ah, the classic "Possible Under Specific Circumstances."

"Either Sonic would have to break Amy's heart," Ray began.

"How hasn't that happened already, by the way?" asked Rachel.

"Honestly, I think the fanfics are giving her hope," said Echo. "MOST of Sonic's compartment is Sonamy."

"Or they would have to develop feelings for each other, which is highly unlikely," Ray continued. "Or both. It could work, but also seeing as they haven't really interacted with each other, it could also not work."

"Huh," said Rachel. "So you're actually on the fence!"

She stood.

"But for the most part, I think we've decided that it's never gonna happen," she sighed. "Alright… next week… Spoiler alert, it's another crack shipping. Shadow and Scourge, everyone. The player and the game. See you all then!"

As usual, all the cameras turned off, and everyone went on their merry way.

However, shooting for the door, anyway… Rachel didn't exactly expect her path to run her directly into Elektor's hands. One moment, she was walking backstage, and the next, Elektor had his hands on her shoulders and was looking her dead in the eyes with those electricity-like ones of his own.

"E-Elektor?" asked Rachel.

"Rachel…" Elektor replied, getting a slightly tighter grip on Rachel's shoulders. "What's the matter?"

"What do you mean?!" Rachel panicked a bit. "Did I mess something up?"

"Nothing at all," Elektor sighed, realizing the need to relax a bit. "Well… technically… you spaced out for a few seconds. Seeing as our natural, real behavior is a trademark that makes our show unique, there's nothing wrong with that from a show-biz standpoint… but whether you realized it or not, you looked like you'd just been bullied. Echo even noticed it: you looked sad."

"Look, I'm sorry!" Rachel snapped, wriggling out of Elektor's grip. "Sometimes, it escapes the bottle. It happens, no matter how hard I try for it not to."

She tried to walk away… only for Elektor to grab her hands.

"This has nothing to do with the show!" he insisted. "...I… I'm just..."

He was looking even further into her eyes now. Both of them were losing hold of their composure as a result.

"I really care about you, and I'm worried about how depressed you seem," he explained. "We can talk about it, right?"

"…I mean… It's kind of a sappy subject," Rachel sighed, closing her eyes. "Romance and all that crap…"

"Did Silver hurt you?" Elektor asked, getting a slight flame of rage in his eyes. "If that son-of-a-"

"No, he's fine!" Rachel replied, looking up at Elektor worriedly. "He wouldn't ever try, anyway… It's complicated."

"Well, then…" Elektor stated, walking Rachel over to the nearest couch. "We can sit here until there's dust on our eyes from how long they've been open."

"…If you insist," Rachel replied, sitting down.

She was half-relieved… and half-worried about letting her secrets go into his hands.

As Elektor sat down beside her, she began "He's been mentioning Blaze a little more. I think… m-my heart's telling me that it's pretty much hopeless. Even _if_ he and I were to make it into a relationship, my jealousy would take ahold of fate and just ruin everything, for both me and him. I would never want to bestow that fate on anyone, not even on most of my enemies. So I've been telling myself to try to take my focus off of him and find love in a simpleton. You know, simpletons like you and me."

Elektor tried his very hardest to keep his cheeks the same color, but anyone could tell that that didn't go well. He was a simpleton…

Rachel, starting to wonder what she was doing, continued "I mean, I'd still be friends with him. I wouldn't want to lose a friend like that. But…"

She looked up at Elektor.

"How the hell do you fall out of love with someone you look up to? Someone you absolutely admire?"

Using memories of his last words with Viola as both evidence and a distraction, Elektor said "I-It's pretty difficult, I gotta say. And even ages after you think they're out… it sometimes all just comes rushing back."

"Exactly," Rachel sighed. "Sometimes… Sometimes, it tells me that I wasn't destined to have a place in anyone's life."

This shot Elektor's concern up to a maximum, widening his eyes as far as they could go.

"Well, you do!" he insisted. "You're a great friend to everybody! Our guests, the stage crew, some of the celebrities… To different extents, we all look up to you!"

He leaned just a bit closer and got just a bit quieter.

"And… w-well…" he tried to confess. "…For what it's worth… you-"

All of a sudden, a voice echoed from over by the curtain.

"'Ey, Elektor!" it called. "We got a problem!"

"…Go ahead," Rachel nodded with a smile, standing up.

"No!" Elektor insisted, grabbing Rachel's right hand with both of his.

All of a sudden, fear seemed to escalate in the stage crew's reactions to something.

After a cough, the voice from before shouted "This thing literally looks like it's about to explode."

Rachel and Elektor both got composed looks back onto their faces, looked at each other for a second, and quickly rushed to the stage.

Turns out, a rat had gotten into the wiring for one of the lights, and it had zapped itself so much that it looked bloated. There was scalding heat that was starting to burn the rest of the wires, too.

Crisis averted. Plot twist averted, too.

* * *

 **Author's note: I'm not too awfully sure if this was needed information, but… to give you all a clearer perspective of what we're looking at, I should list everyone's ages. I don't normally mention them in-story, so for clarification:**

 **Rachel is 17, Elektor is 17, all of the Sonic characters are around 4 years older than they were canonically, Mercury is either 16 or 17 (she was 16 when she was introduced, but I'm not sure if her birthday's gone by), Echo is 8 (but physically/mentally 15), Sarah is 15, and Ray is 14.**


	45. Episode 44 (Shadow x Scourge)

**Thanks: DrawingWordsWritingPictures, Oceanic Coral, Hedgehogwriter07, ZeroPhoenix230, and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT… for your opinions and OCs, I really owe it to you all. You're all a part of a new record as well, I believe: FIVE guests are on tonight's show! Thank you all so much!**

 **Reason for lateness: Late start. Driving for real with a stern guy next to you is a real energy-drainer.**

* * *

As Rachel was walking up to the studio that night… her heart practically lurched with the vision of some elaborate surprise wen Mercury walked up to her with this unsafely excited look on her face.

"Alright… so don't freak out…" whispered Mercury. "…But Shadow and Silver are in there."

She was pointing toward the studio. _She was pointing toward the freaking studio._ Rachel could describe her heart's reaction as dancing, then tripping over a log.

"You… You're serious?" Rachel reacted.

"Yeah!" Mercury squealed. "I guess they heard about the Eggmen having a special interest in the area and wanted to make sure we got out alive. Or that's how Shadow put it."

Well, why isn't Blaze with them?... Oh, why the hell did her mind's voice seem to have a bit of a snarl as it asked that?

"Awesome!" Rachel beamed, leading Mercury as she went into the studio.

Sure enough, said Shadow was immediately there, on the couch, to look up at them and have them be noticed.

The ripest tomato in the garden. Shadow knew how to make 'em out of unsuspecting Mercury's.

"Y-You know…" Mercury piped up. "If either of those egghats were planning an attack on us, they'd know you were here and wait until you aren't."

Shadow merely sighed and replied "We had to punch holes in our Friday nights to be here, and this might be the only one we get, for all we know. But… w-we just had to."

Ah, was that a stuttering in the emo hedgie's voice just there?

"Well, we really appreciate it," Rachel smiled, as sweetly as she could.

Where did this all fit? Silver coming all the way out here without Blaze… Clearing out his plans for a Friday night without Blaze… What did the jigsaw puzzle look like now?!

Well… he was invested in a story that he was telling Elektor, and they seemed to be onstage, so she took the opportunity to go ahead and walk toward the chairs.

Just as she was about to put her hand on one, she heard Elektor's voice call "O-Oh, I already set them up. Don't you fret!"

Rachel, turning around in a near-stumble, replied "Alright. Thank you!" Where had he come from? Onstage, probably?

And then, just like the preparation reel had taught her, "Rachel?" came from the same area in Silver's voice.

She set eyes on him. Like an artifact… some wonder of nature… The smile had to have some spiritual legend behind it, because for just a split moment, it was all that existed.

"Hey there!" she beamed.

"Hi!" Silver chuckled.

And even more rapidly than she'd expected, he'd almost dashed over to her and wrapped her into a… longer quick hug. In one fluid motion.

And she used it to hold on. Hold on to this waning bliss while she still could.

"How have you been?" he asked. "I missed you! So much!"

"I missed you, too!" she stated. "And I've been alright!"

They separated after a few short moments… or an Elektor-perceived few whole minutes.

"Hearing that the show was postponed cause of Eggman Nega scared us both senseless," Silver explained, looking Rachel straight in the eyes. "As much as possible, we want to protect you both- er, all!"

This seemed like an "awkwardly rub nape of neck" moment for the guy.

"But you all are so busy and famous and-" Rachel began.

"Don't worry about it," Silver assured her. "We do what we have to."

Even bars of gold couldn't outmatch those freaking eyes made of enchantments.

Even if she did tear away and go for what would leave her "better" off, she'd certainly be leaving her ultimate dreams behind. That's for sure.

After what felt like years, she was able to catch a glimpse of the clock. The show was to start in 10 minutes.

And of course, that was the perfect time for Silver to be whispering something into her ear, wasn't it?

"It actually took a bit of dragging to get Shadow out here," he whispered. "He thinks actually coming out here is a waste of time… but it's all for Mercury. I can tell that if it came down to it, she's the first one... maybe the only one he'd rescue."

Ah, so it all comes together.

"Ah," Rachel nodded as nonchalantly as possible.

And just 10 minutes later, the audience ahead both invigorated her and wore her the hell out on the spot.

Catchy zinger. Come on, you can do it…

"Sit here, strap back, shut up, and prepare for a ride outside of the park's rights!" she decided on. "Cause you've stumbled upon Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience exploded into applause. Either they could see through the curtains, her mission was accomplished… or both had taken place.

"Tonight…" she sighed. "I… I'm not sure whether or not to hype this up too awfully much… but it's the agent and the criminal, being thrusted into a pairing tonight. Shadow and Scourge, everyone."

Backstage, a certain disgusted Shadow was tempted to shout "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" It took him a mere minute to get over the mere nausea. As a result, Silver had to fight to keep his oncoming chortles from making any audible sound. Just looking at Shadow made it more difficult.

Back live, Rachel continued "It's as I put it before, folks. Crack shipping. 'But Rachel, some of those work!' NOT this one! This one couldn't be farther from possible… I don't think. Scourge is just someone who plays people like games. Shadow, as far as I know, seems like someone who would get nauseated by the mere existence by someone like Scourge here. But I'd say the hatred would be even stronger from Scourge's side. Shadow's someone who tries to preserve justice whenever convenient. Scourge is someone who tries to break justice whenever convenient. An impossible operation. An impossible relationship. There ya go."

She raised her hand as to pretend to drop the microphone and walk away.

"But here's something to gawk at," she said, putting the mic back up toward her speech. "We've broken an old personal record here tonight. We've replaced the Silvaze episode's record of four guests… to tonight's record of five."

The audience applauded again, like solidly proud friends.

"Thank you all," she smiled genuinely. "You all are the best."

Some of the audience smiled in return.

"And they've all already made themselves at home here at least once before, so…" she explained. "We can get 'em all out here and get the show started! Please welcome back to the stage… our five record-breakers… Echo, Mercury, Sarah, Obsidian Prime, and Thorn!"

The crowd cheered on with joy as the five stars of the moment found their seats. Even if it had happened before, it sure as heck seemed like the first time that they were all genuinely excited.

"Hi, guys!" Rachel smiled, finding her own seat. "Make it here okay?"

"Well, I swerved to avoid a transitional-dimensional rift on 5th street," Mercury joked. "Then, I ran into an OMG-freaking-ghosts-and-crap storm on this side of town. Yeah. I'm fine."

"Well, drive back safely!" Rachel replied with a thumbs-up. "Alright… Well, Mercury, let's go to you first. Partners in crime, or the enemies that neither of them needed?"

"Shadow already doesn't like Scourge and vice versa," Mercury explained. "So for them to be in love would be too odd. They've fought each other in the past, which I don't think spells great terms. And… come on… This is _Scourge_. In my eyes, he and Fiona belong together. And one more thing to note… Scourge is a lot like Sonic… being his evil version and everything… and Sonic is already someone Shadow doesn't really wanna look at. Scourge is basically an even worse Sonic. The math doesn't point to Shadow liking that, let alone loving it. That'd be his nightmare, actually. I _never_ would have considered this. Nope, never."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. "…A worse version of Sonic, huh? I kinda thought Scourge was Sonic's smarter and more composed counterpart, but alright! Echo, what are your thoughts?"

"Shadow and Scourge?" said Echo, tilting her head. "Who's that? Oh, wait… Archie Comics continuity… I did a little research on that some time back. So Scourge is just Sonic's evil twin in another dimension?"

After a second where some sort of realization seemed to hit her, Echo's eye expression turned to that of a bit of annoyance.

A bit… Ha… With _five_ fakers to worry about, it sure didn't feel like a bit to Echo.

"…Shadow would be the good against Scourge's evil wouldn't he?" she eventually continued. "Tell me when trying to kill each other became romantic."

"When fanfic was invented," Mercury sighed.

"This would also only be possible through a paradox," said Echo. "That's my opinion."

"Alright," Rachel said. "Sarah, what do you think?"

"Scourge?" asked Sarah, looking very perplexed before getting a sudden hit of realization. "Oh! Sonic's evil twin from Moebius! Sonic's mentioned him a couple of times before. I don't think the relationship would work out, though. Shadow still works as a G.U.N. agent…" She then mumbled something, and all Rachel could make out was "At least…"

And as luck would have it, Silver was now sitting by Shadow and had asked him something at the exact moment Sarah had brought up G.U.N. If it had worked out otherwise, the egghats wouldn't be needed for the chaos that would erupt.

"So I don't picture an agent and a criminal getting along that great," Sarah shrugged.

"Sounds sensible to me," said Rachel. "Then again, star alignment can do strange things. Obsidian, your thinkings?"

"This makes a little more sense because they almost act the same," Obsidian Prime responded. "Except Shadow's neutral, and Scourge is pretty much evil. Despite how it looks, it might NOT work. And Shadow… He had feelings for Maria, didn't he? There's no need to change that!"

"Did he?" asked Rachel. "Well… if he did, I suppose that's a solid point. Thorn, what do you think?"

"Wow… um… no," said Thorn. "It seems almost absolutely hilarious to think about, though. But as a serious relationship… there is very little chance of it lasting for more than two and a half months!"

"That's a stretch in and of itself," Mercury laughed.

"No offense to its supporters," Thorn continued. "But… just think about it. A perverted, parallel-dimensional player of a hedgehog… falling in true love with an anti-social, emo-ish loner?"

She shrugged.

"But then again, if this was to work out…" she concluded. "I'd pronounce this PUSC."

"…For clarification, that means 'Possible Under Specific Circumstances'", Rachel explained to the audience.

She stood.

"So most of us have determined that this is a big-ol' no-go," she concluded. "I kinda figured. Next week… There's still no light to be seen."

She then mimicked a cave spelunker that was likely trapped in a deep, dark pit.

"Help us all!" she called up to the ceiling. "We've been trapped in this crack pit for several weeks now. No food… no salvation..."

She looked back at the audience.

"We tried to climb, but we haven't found a break in the darkness just yet," she sighed. "Another crack shipping is in the works for next week, folks. Two treasure hunters, out for treasures in different hues. Amy and Rouge."

Some of the audience audibly had to let go of some of their annoyance.

"I want out, too," Rachel sighed. "See you all on this journey again next week."

The cameras shut off, and everyone went their own separate ways.

However, Rachel's sent her tumbling over a boot and to the floor. Shortly before the backstage curtain, someone had left their hefty black boot there, and it had completely disoriented Rachel until she found herself on the floor... with a knee that stung like a million needle-pricks.

In dismay, she pulled up her pant leg… to find that the fur around said knee was already stained with blood. That's what smashing it into a brick-wall corner will do, huh?

Humans had Band-Aids. Mobians had fur that would instantly repel said Band-Aids. Great luck there.

She pulled her pant leg back down and went to walk backstage… but immediately after she stood up, she noticed that the pain was suddenly gone. She didn't remember taking anything that day at all, let alone something that would give her strange healing powers.

Out of a biting curiosity, she looked at her knee again. She even pressed around it to validate her initial sightings.

The wound was just… gone!

However, that was at the back of her mind for the next two hours that she, Silver, Mercury, Shadow, and Elektor hung out at the studio. Simply talking, catching up… the whatnot.

Elektor's thoughts went from "I wonder if the show went well" to "Curse you, Silver" in the process. Sometimes, through the walls of his office, he could hear Rachel and Silver chuckling in a perfect harmony. Once, it even made him bury his face in his hands for a few seconds. It was like torture.

Shadow's thoughts went from "What kind of show are these people running?" to "How damn beautiful could someone be?!" in the process. In theory, it was all thanks to the party that Amy held a few months back that he'd even gotten the courage to say hello to her again… and that felt like the hurdle that had ecstasy sprinkled on the other side. All he and Mercury were doing was carrying out a simple conversation… and her eyes seemed even more bedazzling than they were on the dance floor. It was almost sickening. Sickeningly relaxing.

Mercury's thoughts went from "Holy crap, Shadow's here" to "Holy crap, Shadow's TALKING TO ME!" in the process. She was doing rather well at holding in her excitement… but it took every little drop of strength she had. He was looking her straight in the eye… and even smiling sometimes! It'd bless her dreams for several nights to come.

Silver's thoughts went from "Whew, everyone's safe" to "I could do this every Friday night for the rest of my life" in the process. Something about the studio, as deeply blue as the sea- Wait, that wasn't the studio. Something about the weather, spell-casting and beautiful… but strangely enough, that wasn't the weather, either. You can't marvel at the words that a building has to speak to you. You can't quite get lost in the eyes of the outdoors. It just seemed impossible for him to be feeling ever closer to anyone else.

And Rachel's thoughts went from "What does this all mean?" to… well… "WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN?!" in the process. He had come all this way just to see her and the others around her… which DIDN'T include Blaze. He had pushed out a plan to film with Blaze, as a matter of fact, just to come out here and make sure they were safe. And curse the compassion in his stares! Argh… If she was supposed to be falling out of love with him, this was the worst type of situation. One in which her future was beginning to plan out under his rule.

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Good to have ya back, Oceanic Coral! Our Reader's Casual Discussion this week starts as follows: How and why did you create your OC the way that you did? Well… My OC is basically a similar, but not identical, embodiment of me. I am where her personality comes from. Her name comes from the way people commonly misspell my name. Various other things that would end up being spoilers at this time came from my good ol' noggin. Her romantic interest? My favorite Sonic character and fictional crush. How about you guys?**

 **Author's note: Oceanic Coral, you mentioned something along the lines of this a while ago… and I've finally actually found it, so I feel as if I should mention mine! My 3DS friend code! If you need some competition in Mario Kart 7, or would just like to expand our friendship, my friend code is 5000-2176-4691!**


	46. Episode 45 (Amy x Rouge)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Hedgehogwriter07, DrawingWordsWritingPictures, iCosmix, and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions. You guys are this thing's foundations!**

 **Reasons for lateness: Yeah, reasons with an S. First off, I was just incredibly busy last week preparing for a friend's birthday, and all month with driver's training. That, and I haven't "felt well" for months. And also… something else I'll address later.**

* * *

As soon as Rachel walked into the studio, she found herself doing near-360s in the air. Some sort of ninja came out in her limbs.

And all because it was just a split second before she saw that casual little arachnid-thing ready to collide with her nose. It was just hanging there, ready to give her a hello hug. Ah, spiders… So misunderstood.

In her frenzy where the very movements of her fingers were uncontrollable flails, she soon found herself on the ground by the chair pile, trying to get her heart to slow back down. And at first, she wondered if that was the end of it.

But then, she saw the little piece of crap taking a victory walk on a nearby shelf. A VICTORY walk. A victory walk for which she would not applaud.

"I'll be back," she snarled under her breath, pointing a cynical finger at the thing.

At that, she got up… and returned shortly later from the break room that she never used with a styrofoam cup.

And even sooner than the little thing could position itself belly-downward again, it had found its last home under said cup.

"There," she whooped maniacally. "Get my face, and I GET YOUR LIFE!"

…And yes, she and bugs had held a vendetta from the very moment she was born. Of course, she knew now to tackle and not to cower in fear, but certain bugs (*cough* Bees and wasps… *cough*) still found her helpless and scared.

Which must have been how Elektor saw her, because soon enough, Rachel turned to find that he was less than a foot from her face now.

"So…" he said. "Guessing that cup's staying there for a bit?"

"…How long do ya think those things take to die?" asked Rachel.

"I'll lift it next week," Elektor sighed.

"Next week?" Rachel laughed.

"Y-Yeah, next week!" Elektor asserted. "Next month, if I had the choice!"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh some more. And somehow, it hit Elektor's ears just right. Like music. Smiley music.

"S-So…" he said, rubbing the nape of his neck a bit. "You feeling any better?"

Rachel suddenly felt a burning-hot surge of fear hit her. She was never-

Oh, hang on… According to what she had to dust over the truth with for the last week, in a hasty answer to a phone call… she guessed she had been sick.

"Oh, better?" she answered. "Yeah. I think…"

"Well, good," Elektor nodded… before wrapping his arms tightly around her for what always felt like the first time.

It was always a nice surprise for both of them.

"I missed you," he said in a sort of whine, tightening his grip a bit.

All Rachel could think to do was smile. She had to admit… When she thought of "savior," who came to mind kinda flipped between Silver most of the time, Shadow once… and Elektor for the rest of it.

Just 15 minutes later, it was showtime.

"Hey, welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed into the camera. "Sorry 'bout the wait. I got kinda sick over the past week."

Oh, the lies. Who knew lies could hurt the beholder more than the receiver?

"But I'm back!" she continued. "And we're here to discuss our way of getting out of this freakin' crack pit. The only way it seems we're getting up is by getting through this slew of crack pairings. And tonight, we get one more out of the way. Amy and Rouge. I dunno… This one, I see as a friendship. A great friendship. Amy and Rouge seem like two girls who would be very into shopping. And unless they had a "to hell with it" moment of some sort… I think it would stay that way. At least as long as Sonic remains Amy's life dream. We've got another quintet of guests here tonight, and they've all been here before! Please welcome back to the stage... Thorn, Sarah, Echo, Ray, and Mercury!"

The audience applauded as the five guests reappeared onstage. Their feet seemed to miss the stage, as their arms missed the chairs, because the sitting-down process was all one fluid motion.

Even for Rachel.

"Oh, and just as a reminder, nobody lift that styrofoam cup on the shelf backstage," Rachel asserted.

"And why not?" asked Mercury.

"…You do it, you're killing it," Rachel shrugged. "Alright, Thorn! Let's go to you first! The two shoppers out for different diamonds… Is their one beating heart shiny… or is it two separate gravel stones?"

"AND we've got another forecast of Epic Fail Bomb showers for tonight!" Thorn replied. "With the personalities they have now, this would fail miserably. You're getting another PUSC from me. And by specific circumstances, I mean something like if their personalities were changed, or if they were in an alternate universe."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. "I see. Sarah, how about you?"

Sarah began by saying something along the lines of "They're going to hate me."

Then, in a normally-volumed voice, she said "I'm kinda stuck in the middle on this one. Besides their tempers and attitudes, they do have a few things in common. They both love baking and shopping, they have similar fashion interests… It's really just their attitudes. I'd be afraid they'd get in a blowout that'd ruin everything. And side note… if you don't like shopping, DO NOT LET AMY DRAG YOU WITH HER. I think it's okay at first, but it's when I'm there for three hours that we have a problem."

Some in the audience were just asking how this girl knew Amy.

"Advice taken!" Rachel nodded with a thumbs-up. "Okay… Echo? What do you think?"

"Ah, well… I actually support these two…" Echo replied. "…As friends. I'd say much of the sane fanbase would agree. Really, we want one thing to happen: for them to hug out whatever seems to be going on. Fanfics put them as best friends, or even sisters, and that's all fine. But anything outside of that won't sit right with me. Paradox."

"Alright," said Rachel. "…Ray? Your thoughts?"

"I ain't against homosexuals," Ray responded. "But this won't work on the grounds that they've never had an actual moment. Also, Amy's still holding on to Sonic, of course."

"Okay," Rachel nodded. "And Mercury?"

"…Probably no," Mercury said. "Their personalities don't really go well together. Amy's known to be optimistic and aggressive, and Rouge is known to be flirty and ambitious. Not only that, but if you really see through it, they're kinda arch-rivals. Amy's a Hero, while Rouge is more of an Anti-Hero, and that formula equates to different morals, which can lead to clashes. Making a relationship ESPECIALLY risky. And the Amy-liking-Sonic and Rouge-having-Shadow-and-Knuckles system should remain in place. Enough said."

"Huh," said Rachel. "So… these two would be great friends, then… They could talk about boys and love as well, don't you think?"

Some of the guests nodded.

"Next time on Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel stood and announced. "Er… If I can remember correctly… Well, we're out of the crack pit, at least. Or are we? Not sure… Does a quick-footed ninja and an echidna sound reasonable? Espio and Tikal are next week's subject. Only the second time Espio's been brought up, and the first that Tikal has, I think. See you all then!"

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you so much again, Oceanic Coral! The question this time around is as follows: What do you think of the animated Sonic movie that's geared to come out in 2018? Okay, first off… just something… I'll be right back. *walks out of room, cheers nearly to death for about a full minute, then returns* Hell yeah, that's something I'm really excited for! I mean, I heard it was in the works, but IT HAS AN OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE?! Alright, breathe… I haven't seen anything of it yet. Is it terrible?**

 **That other reason for lateness: …I feel like I'm losing it. My writing mojo. I just… I used to be able to pump out compelling 2k-word chapters, and now… I just feel like every word I say is much simpler and more boring than ever. Do any of you think I've lost a bit of my talent, if you can tell?**

 **Author's note: On a brighter note, I finally opened up a new Twitter account! I've got a hashtag that I came up with years ago that I want to use, and… I wanna update people on my life, and maybe even why fanfics are late sometimes! This time, it's a bit different than expected: I'm QueenPeace15.**


	47. Episode 46 (Espio x Tikal)

**Long reel of thanks: First off, thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, DrawingWordsWritingPictures, Hedgehogwriter07, and Oceanic Coral for the OCs and opinions (and thank you, one known as "random gal", for checking in. Yeah, it'd be great to know how Levi is doing! If you'd like, and this is completely optional, maybe he could write a quick letter to our crew?). And thank you all, also, for your words of encouragement! I was afraid that maybe something was telling me that I wasn't cut out for this. That would crush me, seeing as this is how I've made such amazing friends. If possible, I would love keeping on fanfic writing for a long time.**

 **And on that note: Yeah, I've been gone for a while. This is mostly because I've felt, and still feel, really sick. Some sort of chronic nausea, to be exact. I had surgery last week to get my gallbladder removed, and not much has changed. Next week, for Thoughts of the Unknown, isn't even a promise. I just decided I had to write this week, though.**

* * *

As soon as that door opened, a certain road-gray hedgehog felt his heart dancing between his ribs. Seeing that certain blue-eyed fox standing there was a much more beautiful sight than he'd expected, and he'd expected it to beat the Northern Lights.

"R-RACHEL!" he screamed, feeling his legs carry him in that direction.

In a short amount of time, the unsuspecting and slightly nervous Rachel felt her back hit the wall and realized that she was being utterly _tackled_ by Elektor.

"H-Hi there!" she laughed, blushing ever so slightly.

"Nothing's been the same without you!" Elektor gushed.

He then took his head away from her shoulder and grasped onto Rachel's night-blue eyes with his electric-gold own. That grasp was lost several times.

"Do you know what it was like for me?" he asked. "J-Just sitting at home, staring at your words in the dark, from behind some white screen? I think I literally dreamt of seeing your face again a couple of times."

Rachel found herself in utter disbelief-driven silence. With her face starting to take on the persona of a peach, she could only stand there and stare.

Before Thoughts of the Unknown… she'd never felt what she could even remotely consider true love.

First, there was definitely Silver. That, she could not deny. Meeting the guy was like a gate to Heaven opening without her having to die.

But at the same time… what really caught her off guard was how someone could even bring themselves to say the words that Elektor had said to her without stifling a laugh.

Laugh… She snapped back to reality and checked something real quick.

Sure, because stifling a laugh looked like eyes entranced by a magic spell. That smile was practically begging for a hug of its own… Wait, really?

She knew one thing for sure, and that was that her first shot at the solution to her life mission had a pair of golden eyes.

Then, she held her stomach.

"I'm not exactly 100%," she said, taking a deep breath. "Just this week, though… I knew I had to come back."

Giving her another tight squeeze, Elektor smiled "We all missed you _so_ much."

About 15 minutes later, the audience seemed much more crowded than usual… and Rachel was back on stage.

"…Where my TotU Army at, tho?" she boasted.

That earned an applause so hearty, it almost blew her eardrums out.

After a laugh, Rachel beamed "Welcome BACK to Thoughts of the Unknown! Even if it's just for this week… I'm back. This week, I just KNEW I had to come back. A lot's happened since we left off. Trends have erupted… and so have some tears."

She looked down.

"I don't really get how some people think swimming in other people's blood is an answer for anything," she sighed, thinking back to the 2am that she awoke to see "more than 20 people dead."

The audience lost a little bit of its smiley factor and nodded.

"It's horrible," she continued. "But the world still turns. And we still gotta have some fun, I guess. So… if I remember correctly, we're discussing the shipping of Espio and Tikal. Something chemistry-wise here… I-I… like it. Something tells me that they'd get along quite well. Even to the point of a romantic relationship, I think. We've got 4 guests here tonight to help me out. Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Echo, Sarah, and Mercury!"

The audience erupted into applause again as the 4 guests made their ways onstage… almost seeming to take every little moment in.

"Where the heck have you been?" asked Mercury as Rachel sat down.

"I wish I could say," Rachel sighed. "So, let's go to you first. Two flowers that intertwine and make for a beautiful portrait… or a buncha weeds that just get in everyone's way?"

"Wait… those two?" Mercury responded. "I… don't know what to say about this one. Alright, alright… In all honesty, I despise any couple that involves Tikal. Why? Well, if it's any of the heroes, particularly the ones that are friends with Knuckles… They're dating Knuckles's _ancestor_."

A wave of realization seemed to hit everyone in the room.

"Sound weird yet?" asked Mercury. "Hope so, BECAUSE IT IS! And where did _Espio_ come from? Why someone as random as Espio?"

The audience laughed a bit. Being called "random"… Poor guy.

"I gotta be upfront with you, Rachel," said Mercury. "Random couples frustrate the heck out of me."

"You think you're the only one?" Rachel agreed. "It takes the charm out of the art of shipping, doesn't it?"

"Not only do they not make sense," Mercury continued. "But last I checked, these two never met!"

She sighed.

"Why do you do this to me, Rachel?"

"ME?" Rachel reacted. "Ask the freaking fanfic writers! I get all of these topics either from suggestions or because there's been a fanfic written with the pairing."

She sighed.

"It's crazy out there," she said.

"You can say that again," said Mercury.

"Alright," said Rachel. "Thorn. Your thoughts?"

"Hmm," Thorn replied. "Well, for one thing, Tikal is a SPIRIT residing within the Master Emerald. Technically, she's dead. Espio, on the other hand, is still alive and kicking. Also, guys… Wouldn't it be slightly unsettling if your girl or crush was tens or hundreds of years older than you?"

A guy from the audience called "Love isn't a number!"

As Rachel looked at the audience to try to find the guy, her eyes instead fell on… Wait a second…

In shock, she looked back at Thorn.

"I think the pairing fits, personality-wise," Thorn said. "I think it works well… but I still don't like it."

"And that's possible," Rachel replied. "Okay… Echo! What do you think?"

"I have no clue about these two," Echo explained. "I never met Tikal. I do know, though, that she's a spirit. And Espio's that quiet chameleon. I suppose they would get along if they met, due to their calm attitudes, but there's no chance that it'd happen unless Chaos broke out once more."

"What a price to pay," Rachel sighed. "And last but not least, Sarah. What are you thinking?"

"I honestly think this could work," Sarah nodded. "Espio is normally a level-headed guy, and very loyal to his friends. Though not the social type. Tikal is almost the same. She is a very sweet echidna. Though I don't think being bound to the Master Emerald and all allowed her much socialization. Other than Tikal being a spirit and everything, I think this could work."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Rachel agreed.

She stood.

"Unfortunately, health does not allow for compromises," Rachel sighed. "I'll try to make it next week, though. Thank you all for being so patient to me."

Grasping onto a certain puff of courage, she eyed Silver.

"You all mean everything to me."

That went flawlessly. She looked back to the general audience.

"Next week," she continued. "…We head back to the Boom universe as we address how a young genius and a young psychopath… I think… get along. Any guesses? Tails and Sticks, everyone. See you all then!"

At that… there was a split second in which Rachel had no idea what to do. Go backstage and risk looking ignorant, yet get an extra moment to pull herself together?

No choice here. Soon enough, she felt a tap on the back of her shoulder. Alright… Pretend to be surprised?

She turned around, immediately meeting the happy gaze of the one she called "dream." She couldn't really pretend to be surprised because in all seriousness, she still couldn't believe it.

Silver was standing there, with Sonic and Amy behind him.

"Silver!" she exclaimed, instinctively opening her arms as a hug invitation. Wait, wait, what was she _doing_?! That was pushy!

Silver laughed, and they were in a hug sooner than either of them could blink.

"Have you been okay?" he asked worriedly.

"As happy as mysterious nausea will allow you to be," she vented.

"Well, whatever's casting it on you needs to go dig itself a hole," he insisted, finally breaking the hug.

Again, she felt a bit cold as a result. To quote a song, "Off with my overcoat. Off with my glove. I don't need no overcoat. I'm burnin' with love."

"This show needs you," he said.

"No crap, Houdini," said Sonic. "She's the one standing onstage."

Then, Sonic looked to Rachel.

"Have we formally met each other yet?" he asked.

"Maybe on Valentine's Day," Rachel replied. "But who the hell doesn't know you?"

"I'm the one that introduced these two beaus to the show!" Amy sung, holding out a hand. "Amy Rose, Thoughts of the Unknown fanatic and professional tarot card reader!"

She'd heard about the tarot card thing. She'd have to ask for a reading sometime. She shook Amy's hand happily.

Meanwhile…

Elektor stepped out of his office in what felt like a depressing moment. Admittedly, the air was a little fresher out here because the office had become glazed with dust.

He noticed that for sure, seeing how he took in a big gulp of it on sight of Shadow.

Shadow, in response, flinched a little and stepped back. He then sighed and closed his eyes.

Let's see… Last time Elektor was out here, he hadn't exactly noticed… a card and a balloon tied to Rachel's bag? The card was colorful, and that's all he knew of that. But the balloon shouted "Get well soon!" to the world.

"…Look…" Shadow explained. "This is from Silver, alright? He almost had to pay me to do this."

Of course… Silver the _blasted celebrity Hedgehog_ …

One day, Elektor wondered… would there be a battle to see whose eyes were more golden?

* * *

 **Reader's casual discussion: Thank you again, Oceanic Coral! The question is as follows: What do you think of the Sonic Twitter page? My answer is as follows: Don't worry, I've been following the page for a while. I kinda wish they'd post more often. But yeah, it's something else! I'm not sure if I was with them when they did the whole "Eggman Takeover" thing, but I recently went back through the voice responses to questions… and they were gold. For anyone with a Twitter that is a Sonic fan and is not following them… Wait, those two sentences don't match up! JUST DO IT!**

 **About "Pointing Out Contradictions at the Speed of Sound": "Pointing Out Contradictions at the Speed of Sound" is taking an indefinite hiatus. I realized recently that I SUCK at writing mysteries. It's not really my genre. I'd be following a template with each chapter.**

 **About "Green Trail": "But what could you say about Green Trail? That's been done for ages!" Yeah, well… the game Organ Trail received a HUGE and AMAZING update since then. There's more you can do, and more that can happen. Therefore, I was considering rewriting Green Trail as "Green Trail: Final Cut" or "Green Trail 2.0." Different events make for a better story, I think! What do you all think?**

 **Final remark: And yeah, don't be surprised if updates are a little more sporadic. I HATE this nausea… My life is being thrown away with every passing day...**


	48. Episode 47 (Tails x Sticks)

**Props: Thanks to ShadowtheUltimate7 and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. Are you wooden? 'Cuz you're the pillars holding the studio up so high! Oh, and thank you to the one known as "random gal" for reviewing and for… something later on.**

 **Reason for lateness: I might've gotten a late start. This took longer than I expected as well.**

* * *

Rachel felt as if she was finally witnessing a Thoughts of the Unknown anime for the first time… and all she had to do was step one foot in the door.

So… here's the picture. You have Elektor, his usual nonchalant self, leaning up against the door to his office, doing either one of two things: closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with that "smart-guy-being-surrounded-by-dumbasses" frown, or gaping at the scene in front of him.

You have Sarah, standing over by the chairs and not being able to do much of anything but take a futile defensive stance and be completely and utterly horrified.

And finally… you have two Shadow the Hedgehogs in an intense staredown. Shaking and growling… _exactly alike_.

"I-Is this some kind of joke?!" the Shadow on the left shrieked.

The Shadow on the right whispered "Chaos Control" and ended up standing on one of the couches.

"Says the real joke here," he sneered.

Suddenly getting somewhat of a grasp on her surroundings, Rachel cleared her throat and asked "I got an RSVP from one 'Shadow the Hedgehog.' Did I say you could bring your clone as a +1?!"

The two Shadows then turned to look at her. The one on the ground's eyes seemed to be pleading her for something.

Then, the one standing on the couch said "That would be me, miss. I've been standing on the sidelines for far too long, watching the stage be flooded with light without me. With the announcement of Tails being shipped with Sticks… that was the last straw."

She didn't have the gut to say it yet… but how many Shadows were seriously here?

"…Alright," she said with a fake smile. "We're about to start. Hope you enjoy yourself."

And just five minutes later, Rachel was onstage, Sarah looked back at "Shadow" every five seconds as they waited by the curtain… and the other Shadow had punched the wall three times already, prompting Elektor to worry that he'd put a dent in it.

"I appreciate your existence, all!" Rachel smiled. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

She scanned the audience. Nope… No cobalt, rose, or pearl this time…

From one thing she'd decided earlier that day, she found more relief than she would've expected about the pearl's absence. Why couldn't Sonic be here, though?! Dang…

"I wish Sonic was here," she sighed. "I wanted everyone to be able to wish him a happy belated-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a group of girls in one of the back rows shouted "Happy birthday, Sonic!" Everyone else, in varying amounts of time, then followed suit.

Rachel smiled. She'd already given him her birthday wish, through a nice card that resembled his emblem. He seemed really impressed. She even got a hug!

Once it finally quieted down, she beamed "You all are so sweet! I'll have him watch today's episode, if he hasn't already!"

Oh, totally. Cause he'd get a flurry of birthday wishes… and a good laugh, too.

"This week, we're addressing a young genius and a young maniac," Rachel began. "Tails and Sticks are a thing to some people. I totally see it, first off. I just feel like they'd have a special bond. They'd both be able to laugh and make jokes with each other. But… if I remember correctly, doesn't Boom Tails have a crush on a girl named Zooey or something like that? I dunno. Anyway, we've got two guests with us tonight. One's a returning champion, and one's a challenger to the scene! Let's get our returner out here! Welcome back to the stage, Sarah!"

The audience gave Sarah hearty applause as she seemed to leap from behind the curtains and leap to her seat. Rachel supposed she couldn't be too surprised.

…Here goes…

"Our next guest is a fierce competitor on the field," she improvised. "He's got a fierce chaotic spirit bound to scare anyone to the sidelines! Welcome to our stage… Shadow."

Any more spirit than that, and her voice would've shook. A mere millisecond after that, she cowered and jammed her fingers into her ears, saving them from the wails that were to come. And through her fingers, even, the place rang like a bell.

Some thought she was joking. But no. For the time being… this Shadow looked _exactly_ like the Shadow who'd witnessed Vector's yearning for the computer room, Eggman's wise words about bigger quantity being merrier, and his one describing word becoming _edge_. It was actually him…

"Any other newcomer," Rachel told herself. "This can't be the real Shadow."

Rachel looked back, slowly uncovering her ears, to find that Sarah might've picked up this same thought.

"…Glad you decided to hop on board, Shadow!" Rachel hyped. "Now… forgive me for this, but all newcomers must be asked a certain question."

She sat, almost freezing under "Shadow's" icy stare.

"This oughta shake the world," she realized aloud. "Shadow… Do you have your heart set on any of the Sonic the Hedgehog cast? If so, who?"

As only half expected, a pin could be heard dropping in the studio… and in many locations around the world.

"Shadow's" face turned half the red of a tomato. His eyes widened, too.

"N-No!" he shouted. "No, I… don't!"

Giving an epic evil chuckle, Rachel shrugged "Alright. Your word. So… Tails and Sticks… Beautiful concoction or icky disaster?"

"…There's nothing in common between the two," "Shadow" stated, closing his eyes and leaning further back in his chair. "It simply won't work."

Quick recovery. Remarkable.

"Alright," said Rachel. "Sarah? What are your thoughts?"

"Oh… No," Sarah replied. "Just no. I honestly don't like this couple. With Tails being a serious inventor and mature kid all around, I don't think he could handle an over-hyper paranoid badger like Sticks. The pairing just doesn't add up."

"Huh," said Rachel. "So overall, it's… actually not that great? Then again, I have yet to actually watch Sonic Boom."

As she stood, she told herself "I promised myself I'd watch it after finishing Assassination Classroom. I'll see it soon enough."

She sighed, facing the audience.

"Well, that's it for this week!" she said. "Tune in next time… when we talk about the shipping of one powerful force and another. Fist and flame… Knuckles and Blaze, everyone. See you all then!"

Of course she didn't see this coming… The railings separating the audience and the broadcasting almost fell over and allowed for a flood of fangirls. Fortunately, the tall and handsome security guards jumped right in right on time to hold them all back.

"Last I checked," Rachel snapped at the rabid fans, grabbing hold of the curtain. "Groping and screaming has a 100% chance of working against your favor."

At that, she disappeared backstage… to find this "Shadow" getting what had been coming to him all day. Or… was he the one giving revenge to…

Oh, great. The pearl hedgehog AND his purple bestie had shown up, too. They looked just as frozen as everyone else. Rachel just couldn't hide a sigh laced with sadness and tried to focus all attention on the Shadow vs. Shadow brawl.

And hoo boy, was it a sight, folks. Before one Shadow knew it, the other had him pinned to the wall by the neck. However, the victimized Shadow soon fought out of his grip.

At that moment, though, part of the victimized Shadow's quill caught on a hook that hung patiently on the wall… and everyone witnessed as a HUGE flake of crimson paint floated silently to the floor. What it hid was a golden outline.

Rachel stifled that evil chuckle she so wanted to emit. The detective to crack the case… but revealing that role would only draw that pearl hedgehog's attention to her…

At first, the room was so quiet that it felt like the entire world could hear the Shadows growling at each other.

Angrily, the actual Shadow ripped at the fake's right hand, only to rip off a flake of golden paint that revealed a glowing blue stripe on his inhibitor ring… almost similar to the blue that glowed from Mr. Pearl Hedgehog's gloves and boots.

Speaking of him… Was it witchcraft that he and Blaze seemed to be standing so closely together? At the time, it made Rachel want to claw at something, so she soon realized to catch herself and observe this fake Shadow again.

Almost scarily, the fake Shadow soon composed himself with a smile, slowly working to peel the paint off of him.

"So you caught me," he sighed. "Call me Cyber. I am Cyber, and I AM the Ultimate Lifeform!"

This lit the fuse that made Shadow launch a punch at Cyber, which was cleanly dodged.

He walked toward the door, past Silver and Blaze.

"I am Cyber," he insisted. "And I am better than Shadow the Hedgehog in every way!"

At that, he cast the door aside and dashed off.

"…Well, he's not," Blaze huffed.

Shadow growled and flopped down on the nearest couch.

"Why would… W-What was that all about?" asked Silver.

Feeling the moment creeping up on her, Rachel whipped out her phone, swiping at it and pretending to read a text message.

But how many times would this stunt work?

Even if it only worked just this once… it'd allow her to get away.

"S-Sorry, guys," she sighed. "I gotta get home. See you all again!"

At that, she set off on the fastest stride toward the stage. The audience usually came in through a bunch of other doors that she'd never used herself. It had to be this way, because Silver was blocking the usual exit.

Once she looked back once more to be sure nobody was following her, she set off on a dash up toward the center door.

Meanwhile, the backstage area was just shy of a commotion. Silver and Sarah were listening as Shadow expressed his rage at the fact that he had such a similar imposter.

"And you don't take me for one?" asked Sarah.

All Blaze did, though, was gape at the curtain and wonder. That girl was so upbeat and sweet. There was more to that sudden exit than met the eye. And such a shame… She actually would've liked to speak with her.

Elektor had this exact same notion, but was absolutely sure about it. He sighed, looked back once, and took off on a dash on Rachel's trail.

After he got onstage, all he had to hear was the hurried metallic clicks from just outside one of the doors up there, and he was assured of both her location and the fact that something was up.

Wasn't chasing the girl of your dreams supposed to be a figure of speech?

Meanwhile, just a few seconds or so later, Rachel had shoved the huge theater-esque door open and gotten outside, stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

Thank goodness she'd remembered to text Silver her heartiest thanks for what he'd done. The balloon that she tied to her bed immediately after getting home, and the card that read "I'll be real happy when you get better!", followed by a signature that any self-respecting fan would kill to get their hands on… It was all so sweet…

She then took a turn to the left to dash toward the back, whose parking lot held her car. She sped up, feeling that inevitable feeling in the pit of her stomach that someone was likely following her with an intent to kill. It couldn't be helped, what with the darkness being only dotted by the streetlights.

However, that gut feeling was only half right.

Soon enough, she both heard and felt a familiar voice call her name. The poor lad who needed the explanation. She took one more leap into the grass to the right, then spun on her foot to turn around to look at him and catch her breath.

Said breath was oddly hard to catch again when Elektor… her self-proclaimed buddy… approached her and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to catch his own breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

Meanwhile, the road-gray hedgehog knew that it had to be about that Mr. Telekinesis.

"I'm sorry," said Rachel.

"Rachel, please," Elektor pleaded. "I've never seen you run so fast, or so much like you were scared of something. Did the fight between the Shadows scare you?"

"No, that was actually intense," said Rachel.

Elektor sighed a heavy sigh. This sparked Rachel's curiosity, so she looked up from the grass to his worried eyes.

"I'm sorry, but…" he said. "…Did it have to do with Silver?"

Crap… How was she supposed to respond to that? Honesty first, right?

"…Yeah," she sighed.

"But you're usually so open and happy with him…" he began.

Before cutting himself short and feeling his eyes widen.

"Did he do anything to hurt you?!" he growled.

"No, no!" Rachel replied.

A brief moment of silence. When was it that streetlight danced so… gracefully in Elektor's eyes? Rachel hadn't quite noticed it until now.

"You can tell me anything," Elektor insisted, placing his free hand on Rachel's free shoulder. "We've talked about that future-saving big-shot before, right?"

"…Yeah, I suppose…" Rachel realized aloud. "A-And… you might be able to help me. I just don't know…"

"Yeah?" Elektor asked.

"…I decided earlier today that if I want to shake my feelings for him…" she explained. "…I can never see him again."

Despite it all, Elektor was taken aback. They… never see each other again? After all of that?

Rachel sat on the ground, and Elektor quickly followed suit.

"But the thing is that I don't want to ruin our friendship," said Rachel. "Yet… I noticed that my heart seemed to experience lapses of utter peace and escape from all the turmoil of my feelings… which all lined up with times when I hadn't seen Silver in a while."

What was Elektor supposed to say? Her eyes were begging for an opinion. He knew it.

Just ignoring someone was bound to ruin a friendship. At the same time, though, the reasoning was sound. It was like never communicating with an ex again. It seemed… to make sense…

"As much as I'd like to agree with you…" Elektor finally responded. "It seems a bit selfish. Only your feelings would see repair. He'd eventually catch on and be confused, not to mention put off."

"…Yeah, you're right…" Rachel sighed. "…Wait, I wouldn't deliberately ignore him if he wanted to talk to me! Just if he's in the room, occupied with something else. Let him approach _me_ , you know?"

She yawned and decided to stand.

"I should probably still head home," Rachel sighed.

"Hang on, not yet," Elektor said, standing.

He withdrew an envelope from his pocket.

"Silver found this by the door," he explained. "From the looks of it… Levi wrote again."

"Levi?" Rachel asked, prompting Elektor to open the envelope and the letter. It read as follows, leaving both Elektor and Rachel, Rachel even more, in deep concern:

" _Dear friends of TotU,_

 _It has been a long time since I last wrote to you, and I apologize for that. I hate making excuses, but you deserve some explanation. I shall endeavor to keep it brief._

 _Where I currently reside is troubled and rather isolated. I haven't found much time to write, and it's been a challenge to send any mail beyond the town's borders. There has been an unidentified disease that has taken hold of people, Mobians, and plants alike. It's very strange. Everything here seems to be dying. I have yet to be affected by this epidemic (and I certainly hope I shall not at any point, if possible.)_

 _Salutations to newer members of the TotU cast! It's wonderful to see this 'little shindig' grow!_

 _Mercury and Thorn, it's reassuring to see you two come on as often as you are able._

 _Rachel, while this goes against what I think of simply wishing for the better, I sincerely hope that you recover from whatever ails you. My return address should be somewhere on the envelope in case you want to share anything with me. I don't want this to sound weird, but I do mean anything. If you need any help or just need to vent or something, I'm more than willing to assist, even if I'm miles away._

 _Yours truly,_

 _-Levi Lester"_

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: Does anyone here own Animal Crossing: New Leaf? How is it? I've on-and-off been considering buying it for a couple of years now, and especially lately, it really looks like fun.**


	49. Episode 48 (Knuckles x Blaze)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Hedgehogwriter07, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, ZeroPhoenix230, and Tekina Fiction for the OCs and opinions. Thank you all, plus MastaGamerita, for the opinions on New Leaf! I've decided that I'm buying it!**

 **Reason for lateness: I had to eat dinner and blast out the door last night to see my city's fireworks. And then, at 11 at night, I didn't have the capacity to do anything more than sleep like a weakling.**

* * *

"Let's-a get into this, shall we?" Rachel greeted her vast audience as the cameras switched on. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

As the audience applauded, Rachel tried to put something into perspective. There were many creators out there. Many people who put their hearts and souls into things. Many of them were lucky to get a passing glance.

And Rachel… She got this? Nearly wall-shattering applause? If she didn't know the meaning of grateful before (which she did, but still), she certainly did now.

"Words cannot express how grateful I am for all of this," she beamed. "You all… Getting to talk to people, making many meaningful friends along the way… It's almost everything I could ever have asked of life. And let's continue the dream, huh? Let's have that weekly condition where we never wake up!"

Even louder applause came of this. Poet, much?

"This week, we're discussing two punch-packers," she said. "One who has spikes on the knuckles, and one who holds fire on the knuckles. Knuckles and Blaze. Have I said 'knuckles' enough yet? Honestly… I think I'd see this couple in the future if it weren't for the fact that they already have so much potential with other people. I personally ship Knuckles and Rouge because they have so much potential. As for Blaze, there's Sonic… and Silver… both with whom she has beautiful chemistry with. So Knuckles and Blaze is a no-go to me. We have 4 returning guests tonight to give their humble opinions on the matter. Please welcome back to the shipping ring… Sarah, Thorn, and Obsidian Prime!"

The guests seemed to dance in the applause as they found their ways to their seats.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel greeted them, finding her own seat. "Great to see you all again! So-"

Rachel couldn't even close her mouth again before an ear-rattling shattering came from backstage. The entire audience was then in disarray, as some of them clung onto their seats, some ran out in fear of a crisis, and a few others just couldn't help but laugh.

The onstage folk had only a second to panic before the curtain took a near 90 degree flip outward to reveal an Echo that had just spin-dashed into the limelight.

Saying the first English words spoken in the studio in nearly a minute, Rachel, who was cowering in her chair, said "E-Echo! Glad you could make it!" This was followed by a laugh.

"…Made it," Echo replied. "I'll go get myself a chair."

At that, she immediately walked backstage again. The flip of the curtain resulted in Rachel gawking in fear, for it had revealed that what was once a door was now just a doorframe.

"…So… Knuckles and Blaze," Sarah began, hoping to restore order. "I don't think this would work romantically. Knuckles, although sometimes bright, can be very serious when it comes to protecting the Master Emerald. Blaze is a little uptight all the time, but she also protects the Sol Emeralds in her dimension. I believe these two have a lot in common, with them both being guardians and being serious with what they need to fulfill. Still, though, I don't think that would allow for a relationship that goes beyond alliance… or friendship, at best."

"Alright," Rachel nodded.

At that, Echo returned with a chair, placing it next to Obsidian Prime's and settling down into it.

"But with the whole guardian thing," Rachel was saying. "Do you think they ever give tricks of the trade to each other? Just a thought. Anyway… Echo, you've made quite a name for yourself today."

"I am not starting a duplicate Sonic late streak today," Echo insisted in a stoic, deadpan tone. "So I'm breaking it now."

"So Knuckles and Blaze as a couple," said Rachel. "What do you think?"

"These two are somehow two sides of the same guardian coin," Echo answered. "They both have a difference is Knuckles's unfortunate gullibility and Blaze's mistrust and lack of belief in people. A contrast such as that prevents compromise between these two. Also, I was told by Silver that the Sol Emeralds of Blaze's world are scattered on different shrines."

At this, Rachel couldn't help but notice that Echo had such an open friendship with everyone. She supposed there was Shadow, who seemed to be warming up to Mercury quite well. Then, there was Silver, who Rachel herself initially had a smooth and beautiful companionship with. Should she make it known that any friend of Thoughts of the Unknown is a friend of Shadow's and Silver's as well? Maybe some people felt left out!

"This means that Blaze is duty-bound, but always on the move. A nomadic lifestyle compared to Knuckles's-"

At that, something fell to the floor from backstage. Something… drywall-ish. Seeing that the audience's confusion was stirred again, Rachel quickly paced over to the curtain and peeked backstage.

Finding that a huge chunk of the wall above the doorframe was now impersonating a door _mat_.

"…S-Sorry about that…" Echo squeaked from her seat.

"…Just don't do it again," Rachel sighed, going back to her seat. "Anyway, continue."

"…As compared to Knuckles's stationary lifestyle, Blaze's lifestyle wouldn't work for dates," Echo concluded. "I'm confused on how I feel about this one. Logic wins, though, and sees this as impossible. And Sir Blaze lives in a different dimension."

"That makes sense," Rachel nodded. "Thorn? What do you think?"

"Absolutely not," Thorn sighed from her seat.

"…Not everything needs a rhyme or reason," Rachel shrugged. "And Obsidian. I understand that this is essentially your special one being paired with a hot-headed fist guy?"

Thorn, Sarah, and Echo snickered at that name for Knuckles.

"They've ALMOST got the same level of personality," Obsidian explained. "The thing that doesn't match up is that Blaze is PISSED when she's pissed, and Knuckles is calmer than that. Also, Blaze's fears and preferences as a cat can get the best of her spirit at points. Even with her agility and pyrokinetic abilities, it's not difficult to outsmart her. She can turn Super, yet is still flawed in some aspects."

"Okay, for one thing," Echo interrupted. "Sonic, Shadow, and Silver have their flaws, too."

"Yeah," Rachel added. "Sonic can't swim, Shadow can't learn to just have some god-damn spirit sometimes…"

The audience burst into laughter at that.

Meanwhile, a certain ebony hedgehog backstage muttered "Dream on."

"And Silver is _kinda_ naïve," Rachel continued.

Meanwhile, a certain pearl hedgehog backstage got a slight hue of pink under his eyes.

"…Anyway," Obsidian huffed. "She's tough, but her flaws make her quite… cute."

When did Knuckles get shoved out of the equation here?

"…I see," Rachel nodded.

She stood.

"That's it for this time!" she said. "Join us next time..."

She pretended to trip over her own feet and fall to the ground.

"Oh, dear Chaos…" she shuddered. "…Why, I do believe we've fallen into the crack-shipping pit again."

She got up, rubbing her right knee a bit.

"That _could_ just be my relative opinion, though," she continued. "You tell me. Does Jet and Storm sound any good? This will be the first time either of these fine gentlemen have stepped onto the topic podium, if I'm correct. I'll see you all then!"

Just 10 minutes later, Sarah and Echo were leaning up against a couch that Shadow, Silver, and Blaze were seated on. Elektor had beckoned Rachel to his office so he could speak with her about certain special effects that were now available to him… and who to call to fix their door.

"So, Silver," Echo said. "You said something about 'what happened last week.' What happened last week?"

"A couple of things," Sarah said before chuckling a bit at the memory.

Shadow emitted a low growl. Last week…

Silver laughed a bit, starting "Not sure what the other thing was, but a guy named Cyber disguised himself as the actual Shadow and was on the show last week."

"Seriously?!" Echo laughed.

"The actual Shadow just so happened to be here, too," Sarah added. "Aww, man, you shoulda been here. They fought and everything."

"I missed that?!" Echo said.

"What's the other thing?" Silver asked.

"…It was Rachel," Blaze stated.

"Don't tell me you didn't see it," said Sarah.

"Huh?" asked Silver. "…She got an urgent text of some sort and had to leave, right?"

"I've got a gut feeling that there was more to it than that," said Sarah.

"I agree," Blaze nodded. "Unless something actually happened to one of her family…"

"I've never seen her run so fast," said Sarah.

"Unless something actually happened"? Silver glanced at the wall which held Elektor's office, suddenly extremely worried for the blue-eyed hostess. Should he ask…?

* * *

 **Author's casual discussion: All I had to do was play The Game of Life to get another zany idea for an episode of Thoughts of the Unknown. What if maybe, my OC was playing the game with 3 other Sonic characters (any combination of canon characters and OCs) and was secretly writing down everything that happened so that she could write stories from it? Then, she reads the stories for everyone next time they meet. That'd be fun for me to write... but would it be fun for you to read?**


	50. Episode 49 (Jet x Storm)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, ZeroPhoenix230, Hedgehogwriter07, and Tekina Fiction for the OCs and opinions. I'll never be able to say it enough: This show is all thanks to you folk!**

* * *

"Alright," Rachel sighed as she walked in and immediately saw Shadow. "The show doesn't start for another two hours. Is this an urgent thing?"

"It would appear as if you dropped some sort of responsibility for this meeting," Shadow commented.

Maybe that was because Rachel was literally holding a BMT from Subway in her hand.

"Nah, I was just picking up dinner, and Silver told me that it seemed like this was an urgent meeting that I had to rush to right away," Rachel shrugged. "So unless you mean me almost dropping my dinner three times… you're good."

Shadow couldn't help but emit a small chuckle, but soon after, his complexion was all business again.

"Yes, well…" he continued. "Silver might have given you the wrong impression. It's just that I wanted to speak with you where nobody else could hear us, and the only spot I could think of immediately was this studio, when nobody else has shown up yet."

All of a sudden, something was creeping, almost like a spider, up on Rachel's sense of security. Then again, Shadow did hang out here a lot, for some reason…

"Essentially, Omega and Rouge have made a rather odd theory about the two of us," Shadow explained, opening his eyes and staring right at Rachel.

From the stare, Rachel got an immediate guess.

"Don't tell me that they ship us," she huffed.

"Something even odder," Shadow said, shaking his head. "…And I have no damn idea where they got this from… They've come up with the theory that you and I are siblings."

At this, Rachel was thrown almost completely off guard.

"Yeah, you and I are not of the same species," Shadow continued, sensing Rachel's rebuttal. "But they believe that somehow, we're both tied to the Black Comet and their race."

"…Ask them for their proof," Rachel concluded before taking a bite from her sub. "You and I look nothing alike, and I don't even have powers."

"But that's the thing," Shadow interrupted, standing up. "The latter… You don't know that."

At that moment, however, the door creaked open to reveal a very hungry-looking Elektor. And I mean hungry in the sense that the first thing he set eyes on was Rachel's sub.

"Yo, is that a foot-long?" Elektor asked, walking up to it.

"Yes, it is," Rachel replied, taking another bite before swiping it away from Elektor's grasp. "I know, I'm usually that kid that shares her chips with anyone she's talking to at the lunch table at school… but I need every scrap of this that I can't eat tonight for my lunch tomorrow. Unless you want to buy me lunch tomorrow."

Meanwhile, that idea sounded great to Elektor on more than one level. It fit together so well that he was starting to get slightly nervous.

"J-Just hear me out…" he said. "If you split that sub with me… Whaddaya say I take you out to Dairy Queen at noon tomorrow?"

Rachel further embraced her sandwich, stating "I may be here, but my digestive system is still reeling from my surgery last month. I think it made me lactose-intolerant, along with the intolerance for fried stuff. All I could get there is an overpriced hot is a highlet there is a highlydog, at best."

"Alright…" Elektor sighed, visibly racking his brain. "…But everywhere I can think of reeks of fried food… Hmm… How about Nahrung Café? They have some pretty healthy stuff."

Rachel gave both Elektor and her sandwich puppy eyes. She appreciated Elektor, but… she felt so vulnerable just giving up her food like this.

"And seeing as I'm stealing your food tonight," Elektor added. "I'll pay for anything you want tomorrow. Promise on me heart."

Rachel sighed. Why did that promise feel so warm?

"Find a knife," she groaned. "…Wait, why do you need a whole 6-inch sub anyway? The show doesn't start for another two hours! You could go to Long John Silver's or something! And I'd sigh jealously!"

"Well, I WAS going to go to the McDonald's by the studio," Elektor explained, walking toward the break room. "But they were temporarily shut down because they found some rusty robots roaming around in their food and were worried about tetanus contamination."

"Robots?" asked Shadow, who Elektor had nearly forgotten was around. "…Be on your best guards tonight."

"We will," sighed Rachel, all too used to this by now. "And Elektor… If you don't make good on this plan, I'm calling you out on national television."

Getting a slightly hurt look, Elektor came back from the break room saying "I wasn't planning on cheating you. Why the hell would I do that to someone I care about?"

"Sorry, it's just…" said Rachel, holding her sub up so that Elektor could cut his share. "I grew up with even my parents breaking promises they made to me. Over time, I realized that even someone who worships you has the capability of turning on a dime and using your trust against you. I hold complete trust in _nobody_."

This had Shadow staring directly at her with a look of intrigue. He couldn't have put it better himself… What if they actually were tied together by some tiny string of blood?

"That bites," Elektor said, gratefully taking his fairly-sized sandwich.

"…What, like you're about to do to MY sandwich?" Rachel joked.

Even Shadow found a chuckle escaping his lungs. Rachel walked off to find something in her bag, and Elektor just stood there, on the verge of facepalm.

Two hours later, the atmosphere was back to normal. The audience was its usual cheery self, and so was she.

"Actionia!" Rachel said dramatically, pretending to swipe a wand. "Welcome back, everyone, to Thoughts of the Unknown! Tonight… some of you are closer to the light than others, but we're all in another crack sinkhole, starting tonight. We address the shipping of the cocky one and the… apparently dimwitted one of a trio of windy birds. Jet and Storm, everyone. Of course, as you may have guessed, I'm giving this one a NO. It doesn't even quite qualify for PUSC status. Yeah, they're in a team together… but from what little I know of them, they just don't seem like the pair to get along anywhere past that; teammates by happenstance. In fact, I envision them being the two to get into arguments all the time. That is, unless that's Jet and Wave. I dunno much about this crew. Hopefully, our four guests do, though! Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Obsidian Prime, Sarah, and Echo!"

The audience cheered as the four strutted their way to their seats. Rachel soon found her own as well.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel waved. "So… these two. The hawk and the albatross, if I'm correct. Thorn, is this the wind in your hair, or is it a whirlwind of disaster?"

"Let's see…" said Thorn. "The overconfident, cocky, prideful green hawk and the strong, dim-not-dumb, equally-competitive gray albatross? Well… I don't exactly ship these two. I've seen them clash before because of… whatever it was… but Jet is a bit too hot-headed and impatient to handle Storm, and Storm is just a bit too dim… no offense. All I think they have in common is that they usually have no idea what Wave is talking about."

"Huh," Rachel nodded. "Alright. Obsidian, what do you think?"

"Once again, completely out of place," Obsidian replied. "Jet's the leader, strong and wise."

"You're sure about that?" Thorn snickered quietly.

"Storm's even more powerful," said Obsidian. "But normally cannon-fodder. Nope, here we have another set of people that don't match together at all."

"We get a lot of that here, trust me," Rachel nodded. "Sarah? Your thoughts?"

"No," Sarah stated. "Just no. Jet is very cocky. He _is_ the head of the Rogues, but he can lose his temper if he gets too wound up. Storm is not a very bright bird and can be very clumsy at times. I don't think Jet would have the patience to deal with him. And am I the only one who thinks this is like pairing Sonic and Knuckles?"

She received some short, yet hearty applause for this. In retrospect, the pairings were _very_ similar in nature.

"You know, you're right," said Rachel. "It is sort of like that. So Echo… What's going on in your head?"

"I remember Jet from the first Extreme Gear event Sonic attended," Echo stated, eerily composed. "If Jet can't hold his tongue or treat others properly, I'm sorry, but he will not receive any grace from me. Not to mention he cheated at the finale and got away with it."

"Holy… He did that?!" Rachel asked.

"I'm not lying," said Echo. "It's a mystery how Storm willingly obeys Jet as a leader. Admiration? Probably. But his group, the proud Babylon Rogues, is the only group he hasn't treated like garbage. They already do get along, I suppose, so… I think they will continue to."

"You think so?" asked Rachel. "…Good on Storm. I think. You'd have to pay me a mansion if you wanted me to team up with Jet at this point."

She stood.

"Well, that's it for this week," she announced. "We've got some mixed opinions this week. I'd say, though, that the majority doesn't see it happening. Nobody knows. Stars are weird. Anyway, next week…"

She sat down on the ground, cross-legged and pretending to search for something far above her.

"We're still trapped, folks," she said. "And if you ask me, I think we've collapsed even further down in this crack sinkhole. Next week, we address the hedgehog and his artificial counterpart."

"Shadow and Shadow Android?" asked Thorn, raising her hand.

"…I almost wish I could say that," Rachel sighed. "…Sonic and Metal Sonic, everyone. Help."

* * *

 **Author's note: That Game of Life thing I was talking about is a go! So… with my OC already in the fray… what other 3 characters, canon or OC, would you like to see playing the game together… and unknowingly having it novelized? (I'd prefer for any OCs to be the ones we know on Thoughts of the Unknown, or anyone that has starred before.)**

 **Author's casual discussion: Has anyone either played or seen someone play Welcome to the Game? That game looks insanely fun... but it's not for any eyes that haven't had their 16th birthday yet.**


	51. Episode 50 (Sonic x Metal Sonic)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Hedgehogwriter07, and Tekina Fiction for the OCs and opinions. You all mean literally everything to this! Oh, and thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for a few weeks' worth of topics! Makes the job that much easier!**

* * *

A distraught Echo meticulously rushed up to the door, opened it, and rushed inside before closing it behind her.

Catching her breath, she spotted Rachel just as she was heading toward the stage. She realized how horrifyingly close she had made it when she saw Sarah and Thorn standing by the curtain.

"I-I'm sorry I almost didn't make it again!" Echo explained, having Rachel turn around. "I got caught up with hotel stuff and lost track of time."

"Hotel stuff?" Rachel asked. "Is anything wrong?"

"I'm going on vacation next week," Echo said. "I still have yet to figure out what hotel I'm staying at."

"Oh!" Rachel nodded. "Well, I hope you have lots of fun! And be safe!"

"We'll be thinkin' bout ya!" Thorn smiled, giving a thumbs-up.

"No dying, I know," Echo said. "I GET it."

At that, Rachel went onstage, and Echo joined Sarah and Thorn.

"Someday, we'll get out of this crack pit…" Rachel said, impersonating one of those survivalists on TV. "Let's start now! Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience's usual applause filled her with vigor.

"This week… ugh…" she sighed. "Two speedy blue things. Sonic and Metal Sonic, everyone. Nope. PUESC, or "Possible Under _Extremely_ Specific Circumstances" is the best I can give it. Like, if Metal Sonic had fallen into the River Twigz and had his chips zapped in just the right spots to make him a good guy. But what's the chances of that? The River Twigz would either kill him or do nothing in reality. But… p-please, just… NO. NO! Ugh… Anyway, we've got three guests with us tonight. Please give a hearty welcome back to the stage… to Thorn, Sarah, and Echo!"

The three guests made their ways to their seats.

"Hello, guys!" Rachel waved, finding her own seat.

"I'll go first," Thorn sighed. "Save your breath. First off, has anyone seen the 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog movie?"

"Nope," Rachel said to herself. "But that 2018 one's gonna be a riot."

"If so," Thorn explained. "You know how Metal Sonic is destroyed, right?"

"He and Silver made their first Olympic debuts in 2010," Echo interrupted. "19 years later."

"Please," Sarah winced. "I don't need my brain to be twisted around tonight."

"…AND," Thorn huffed. "He says 'There can only be one Sonic' or some feels like that. Well… Back then, I'd say they could have a friendly-rival relationship, like how Sonic does with Shadow and Knuckles. But how he's acted since then, even Heaven and the Underworld hold no way that romance would work out here."

"Me next!" said Sarah. "I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but… who, in their right mind, would see anything between these two?! Seriously, I mean… Metal is Sonic's sworn enemy-"

"That's Eggman," Echo sighed.

"…BESIDES EGGMAN, of course," said Sarah. "Even if Metal were to turn good, it still wouldn't work. Nope."

"This is going to be wondrous," sighed Echo. "A, Metal is a faker. B, it kidnapped Sonic's girlfriend on Little Planet. C, Metal is a robot."

"I mean, love doesn't always discriminate," Rachel shrugged.

"It sure as heck does most of the time," said Echo. "It nearly killed all of the Sonic Heroes. When I was… Well… I was neglected thanks to _it_. That aside, I've done some active research. Metal could possibly be a robotized Sonic from an erased timeline."

This grabbed at least a minute chunk of everyone's attention.

"A relationship between these two would be the equivalent of Sonic making a metal statue of himself and marrying it," said Echo. "Narcissism jacked to eleven. By both logic and my personal bias, this is impossible."

"Glad we could all agree on that," said Rachel, standing up. "Welp, tune in next week… when we see how the two-tailed genius and the guardian of the huge jewel get along! Knuckles and Tails, everyone! See ya then!"

Rachel almost reflexively walked backstage after turning her mic off… but was caught by the sudden memory of the idea she had hiding in her car.

"You guys, wait," she snapped, calling toward the three guests.

They all stopped, looking back at her.

"I've got the Game of Life in my car," she explained. "Anyone up for a game?"

In truth, she was prepared for brutal rejection. She'd grown up with everyone seeming to have something better to-

"Yeah!" Thorn cheered.

"Sure, why not?" said Sarah.

"I could go for a game!" Echo smiled.

…Huh. Awesome.

"I've got it all out in my car!" Rachel beamed. "Just let me go get it."

But the walls must've been made of opaque iron or something. Because it wasn't until Rachel closed the back door that she noticed that it was raining. It was one of those deadpan rains that seemed like it was just trying to do one job and leave… but nevertheless, it was rain.

Nothing out of the hat, she supposed. In fact, it made Rachel smile.

She had just made it to her car, though, when a whale did an air dance above the sea behind her.

She looked behind her, seeing that who had actually tripped and fallen into that huge puddle in the middle of the parking lot was no whale… but Silver the Hedgehog. When Rachel saw him, he was face-down and slowly rose himself out of the water.

"Woah!" she reacted, dashing over to him. "Are you okay?!"

She then held a hand out to him.

Silver, meanwhile, tiredly caught sight of the hand, looked up at the one who offered it, and almost stumbled back in shock.

He so desperately tried to hold back the flow of blood that felt to be rushing to his face… but alas, he couldn't prevent himself from turning rose-red.

He took her hand and used it to stand, saying "Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

In his flurry of nervousness, he didn't even notice until about three seconds later that he still had Rachel's hand.

"That was quite the fall," said Rachel.

"I-It happens, right?" asked Silver.

"Much stranger has happened," Rachel shrugged. "I'm the only one who saw this, so your reputation is saved."

At that, Silver chuckled a bit, and in turn, so did Rachel. Silver found his smile lingering a bit after he stopped laughing, though. Something made him feel a bit warm and tingly from within the pit of his chest, and Rachel's laugh replayed in his head a couple of times.

Was this really happening?

"Hey," Rachel smiled. "If you wanna stick around, the guests and I are gonna play the Game of Life."

"Can I play in place of the loser of the first game?" asked Silver. "Or would that take too long?"

"Dude, this isn't Monopoly," Rachel laughed. "I got time to kill."

At that, Rachel walked back to her car, unlocking it and opening the passenger door to withdraw a single plastic bag that held both the aforementioned game… and a sneaky yellow memo pad. With that pad came a pencil.

Things were about to get interesting.


	52. Episode 51 (Knuckles x Tails)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. Thank you so very much for keeping this alive!**

 **Reason for lateness: YOU CAN ACTUALLY BLAME THIS ONE ON TECHNOLOGY! Wow, I never thought I'd say that… First, the tablet froze and had to be restarted about 1/3 into the chapter. Then, my Bluetooth keyboard quit working. It's HARD typing by touchscreen, dude!**

* * *

Elektor met Rachel's entrance with a calm "Oh, hi! How are you tonight?"

And even with such a seemingly mundane situation… As compared to most other weeks, Rachel was a bit put off. She found herself silent for a few seconds.

"You okay?" Elektor asked with concern.

"… _That's_ what you'd expect in most studios shortly before the filming of a TV show," Rachel explained, sitting down on a nearby couch. "But lately… I just expect to not even enter the parking lot before finding you beating Eggman up or something."

"Really?" asked Elektor, sitting down beside her.

"We had Shadow fight his clone here," Rachel began. "I was asked out on a date for the first time here. We were invited to a party of Amy's here. You got a sub off of me here. Just… hearing you so mundanely ask me how my day was is so… funny."

"I guess I know what you're talking about," Elektor chuckled a bit.

"I could be better," Rachel shrugged.

"Aww, really?" asked Elektor, leaning just an inch closer to her.

"How are you, though?" she asked him.

"…Well…" Elektor sighed. "…Viola tried to talk to me again."

"Oh, no," Rachel reacted, leaning just an inch closer to him. Couldn't this hell just leave him alone?!

"She got a new phone, and I blocked that number as well," said Elektor. "I might have to change my number."

It was almost like he'd just thought of that, because he seemed to calm down a bit.

"If it doesn't cost too much, I think that's a great idea," Rachel nodded, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Of course, Rachel fortunately didn't see this… but the touch made something electrifying and warm spiral throughout Elektor.

He looked at her and got a warm smile on his face.

"I don't need her," he said. "Since she turned against me, I never needed her."

At that, he enveloped Rachel in his arms in one fluid motion. Almost immediately, he knew she was really hugging back.

"As long as I've got who I've got," Elektor continued. "I can take anything on."

Rachel chuckled a bit, and it was sweet, sweet music to Elektor's ears.

Was it just him, though… or was _she_ the one to hang on for a bit after he let go?

Regardless, the studio was alive just a few minutes later.

"Hello, television!" Rachel beamed to the audience. "So tonight, I was just taking a walk, and all of a sudden, life was just like 'Hey, you're going to be on television every week for the next year or two of your life!' And I was just like 'I'm not a camera face, but okay!' And now, I'm here. Now, this is happening."

The audience applauded joyfully.

As the noise died down, Rachel continued "Nah, I'm actually here because one of my best friends became a producer, we were talking about the idea, and he pitched it to two major channels _without my knowledge_ … And now, we're here."

The audience applauded joyfully.

"And this week," Rachel continued. "We're talking about Genius and Knuckle-head. Better known by their aliases, Tails and Knuckles. We've got two guests with us tonight to either validate or shoot down my opinion that unless very specific circumstances took place… this isn't happening. Don't they both have their eyes on girls already? And… aside from the fact that they're great friends (I think of Sonic Boom), I don't think there's any hope for them. Anyway, let's welcome our guests out here and see what they think! Welcome back to the stage… Thorn and Sarah!"

The crowd applauded as the two guests smiled all the way to their chairs.

"Hi there!" Rachel beamed, finding her own seat. "How are you guys doing?"

"Alright," Thorn sighed.

"So, Thorn…" Rachel asked. "Do you ship Genius and Knuck-head?"

"Rad Red and Pixel Brain…" Thorn answered. "So Knuckles has a temper, which is why Tails is very level-headed in comparison. I can only see them as very close friends, or brothers… but not lovers. Sorry."

"That's quite alright," Rachel nodded. "Sarah. What do you think?"

"Hmm," Sarah replied. "Knuckles is a more uptight person. Tails is normally relaxed, especially when it comes to inventing. They do have some things in common, such as their tendencies to be in one place (Tails in his workshop and Knuckles on Angel Island). But I don't see these guys in a romantic relationship. It's more of a best friend or brother sort of thing."

"I think we've reached a unanimous decision here," Rachel sighed, standing up. "That's all we've got this time, folks. Join us next time when we discuss another pair of evils. Oh geez… I feel like if Scourge and Mephiles actually knew each other, this world would be done for. We discuss them next time."

The cameras shut off, and the audience got up to leave.

"AND THORN AND SARAH…." Rachel snapped, much more forcefully than intended. "I did something a little interesting after our games last week… if you'd like to listen in."

Both Thorn and Sarah walked up to her.

"I'm immediately curious," said Thorn. "What did you do?"

"I kept track of everything that happened to us, including Silver when he played," Rachel revealed. "And I've novelized it all."

"Huh," Thorn stated.

"Let's hear it!" Sarah beamed.

Just moments later, Thorn and Sarah were sitting side by side on a couch, and Rachel sat across from them with that same yellow memo pad in her hand.

"You ever wonder who you're actually marrying, or whether or not you even liked that trip to Africa?" Rachel said dramatically. "I got it all figured out. "Let's start with me."

" _The life of Rachel the Fox reached its great first peak when she saw her name typed upon the Honor Roll list at her university. She didn't nearly expect it to happen at all! She was only here as an aspiring author, an aspiring composer, and an aspiring psychologist. Nothing more. She walked away with an air of confidence that lasted about three days._

 _Of course, she ACTUALLY walked out of there for the final time with a job as a veterinarian lined up for her. Somewhere along the line, she'd decided that the innards of animals fascinated her more than the electricity that ran through her own brain._

 _However, her life goal had always been to find true love. Her philosophy had always been that whatever happened along the way happened, just as long as she died with her soul mate holding her hand. Somewhere along the way, she found a glimmer of hope within the eyes of an old colleague of hers… Elektor the Hedgehog. They dated, he proposed… and sooner than later, they listened as tin cans rustled on the road behind them._

 _They ended up coexisting within a mobile home. Because the economy._

 _One of her patients down the line was a cat that belonged to a girl named Juliet. She had said her hellos, only being met with a sad look. Her father told Rachel that Juliet was deaf due to illness at a young age. They walked out with a healthy cat, but the entire incident inspired Rachel to do something seemingly improbable. She learned sign language._

 _Soon after marriage comes another thing, right? It took a little bit of thought on both of their parts, but soon enough, Elektor and Rachel were welcoming a baby boy named Larry into the world._

 _One day, Rachel and Larry walked into the house to find Elektor screwing the final screws into a home gym. From then on, none of them were ever called fat again._

 _On a summer's day, when Elektor was basking in the shade and Larry was running back and forth through a sprinkler, Rachel found a bronze coin just a bit into the ground. Elektor got excited as soon as he saw it, which prompted an emergency trip to the pawn shop, where they all found that they were soon to be the proud owners of two million dollars."_

"And that was the last noteworthy thing to report before retirement," Rachel shrugged.

"…I'll address the elephant in the room…" Thorn began.

"I chose Elektor because I knew it would set you off," Rachel half-bluffed. "Alright?"

"Didn't you have a crush on Silver or something?" Sarah asked.

"That would conflict with his story," Rachel explained. "Anyway, on to Thorn's story!"

" _It all began on the day when Thorn found two of her limbs nearly put through a tree. One miscalculated turn on a snowboard ended the day with a trip to the hospital. Sooner than expected, her arms were fully functional once again._

 _She thought she'd avoid it like the plague. She talked about it every week on a mediocre TV show, pitying the fools. She thought she was invincible… but she soon fell victim when she saw it in the eyes of Bean. Within years, they were lawfully wed._

 _They coexisted within a decent condo… and somewhere down the line, they welcomed a baby boy named Frank into the world._

 _One day, it became apparent that advertising had upped its game. With tactics I've been told to withhold, a TV commercial managed to transfer about a thousand dollars from Thorn to unfortunate orphans in Africa._

 _Throughout a series of Thursdays, some tuned their TVs to see Thorn do some pirouettes, and even a few clips, towards victory. Thorn ended up winning that season of The Choreography is Right._

 _Bean and Frank found Thorn shaking hands with a nice salesman one day. Bean inquired. Thorn replied "We're heading down to the marina now. I just bought us a sailboat." Summer vacations were never mundane again._

 _One night, a suited man named Phoenix greeted Bean at the door instead of Thorn. Thorn yelled from inside "Oh, that's our new butler, Phoenix. Tear him apart!"_

 _They all visited the Great Wall of China that summer._

 _And it's good that they got that in. Unfortunately, Thorn was taken to the hospital one evening after falling and breaking her skull. She was put under for an operation, but she had just hemorrhaged too much. She passed away under the knife."_

"Wait, I retired!" Thorn snapped.

"A 'life-saving operation' was the last noteworthy thing that happened," Rachel explained. "It was a plot twist that made sense. It also goes to show that not everyone will live to retirement."

Thorn shrugged.

"On to Sarah's story!" said Rachel.

" _One of the first rewarding experiences Sarah had was from within a soup kitchen. There was just something about seeing all of those smiles emerging from a situation that NOBODY wants to be in… It made her life._

 _She did what any life-loving person would long to do one year when spring break was taking place. She went to Florida. And it was warm._

 _While she was there, she learned the meaning of looking past some major boundaries to see something very much worthwhile. Like looking past her true love's state of being a robot to be happy. She found herself staying in Florida for much longer than foreseen when she fell in love with Omega. Within two years, he finally found it in his circuits to propose to her, and they were lawfully wed._

 _And then, she lived the rest of her life as a computer designer. It suited her well."_

"Omega?" asked Sarah.

"I dunno," Rachel responded. "Anyway, what was life like for our dear friend, Echo?"

" _Echo walked out of that college for the final time, vowing to see the day that her index finger would fall off from overpointing. She realized her life dream of becoming a lawyer._

 _One day, she walked out of court and got into a conversation with a fanatic of hers. This fanatic always saw her as a role model, and had developed a small crush on her. They went on a few dates, and soon, Echo found herself falling for the two-tailed fanatic, too. In about four years, Echo and Tails were married._

 _Together, for the rest of their lives, they vowed to be adventurers. Their favorite trips… the two they remembered on their final rockers… were their trips to the Grand Canyon and the European Alps. This was especially because those trips were the only two they could remember where they found themselves falling in love all over again, under the stars."_

"Huh," said Sarah. "So what's Silver's story?"

"Ha ha," Rachel responded. "Let's see, huh?"

" _As it would turn out, Silver took a path similar to Echo's. He spent his days standing in a courtroom and seeing those wrongly accused be rescued._

 _As it was for everyone else, it was inevitable that Silver would fall in love. The difference is, though, that he had his mate by his side since his first year of college. They married soon after he graduated. That… lucky… young woman was Blaze the Cat._

 _Poor Silver became likely the most careful driver in all the universe… after the day he took one second's focus off the road and found himself launched into a tree by another car. Every drive was lives hanging in the balance. Over time, he flew more and more._

 _Down the line, they welcomed two twin girls, known as Cyndi and Mia, into the world. They were just the most angelic sights._

 _Silver eventually won $300,000 in a sweepstakes. He was pretty stoked._

 _Over time, caring for his twins became an addiction for him. He realized this when he found himself having actual separation anxiety on their first day of kindergarten. On a walk, he strolled past an empty house and came up with an immediate dream. That dream came to fruition when he opened his own daycare service._

 _The last happy memory he had was when he learned that Cyndi was going to have a baby boy."_

"I can FEEL how irked you are," Thorn laughed. "Blaze, man…"

"…Y-Yeah…" Rachel nodded, clawing at the couch's arm a bit. "…Blaze…"

And just like that, she felt herself falling back into dangerous territory.


	53. Episode 52 (Scourge x Mephiles)

**Props: My thanks this week go to Hedgehogwriter07, ZeroPhoenix230, and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for the OCs and opinions. You guys mean literally everything to this, remember!**

 **Reason for lateness: Late start.**

"'Bout to make the FIRST judgements of the day!" Rachel beamed to the audience. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

From that intro, the entire audience was smiling and applauding.

"This week, we're discussing an actually threatening pair," Rachel said. "One couldn't give two craps about how others feel… and the other does, but wants to see them all CRY. Scourge and Mephiles, everyone. Now, first off… Weren't Scourge and an alternate version of Mephiles in prison together? I thought I read something like that. I feel like if these two met, Scourge would be immediately captivated (if not attracted) by Mephiles's relentless evil and disregard for others. And Mephiles would see Scourge, in all his relentless evil and strategy skills, as a beautiful pawn (if not tempted into companionship by shared values). If they actually were looking for love and were definitely gay or bisexual, I totally see it. I… wow… This is really visual to me! I could totally picture these two taking over the world! Anyway, I have a few guests here to give their pitches! Welcome back to the stage… Sarah, Obsidian Prime, and Thorn!"

The audience gave their usual excited applause as the stage was occupied with the three eager guests.

Finding her own seat, Rachel said "Hi, guys! So what do we think of this pair?"

"Uhh…" Sarah vocalized, looking absolutely confused. "I… don't think this could work out. Yes, they're both evil. Yes, they both hate Sonic with everything they've got and then some. And yes, they both desire to see Mobius fall under their hands. But still, being Sonic's opposite, Scourge's got a cocky attitude. Mephiles, as an evil planner, wouldn't be able to handle that, I think. Period."

"Ah, I see," said Rachel. "That's understandable. So Obsidian Prime, what do you think? Water and salt or water and oil?"

"I gotta agree, both of them would make excellent partners," Obsidian replied. "Even with no powers, Scourge is quite the mastermind. Mephiles is more like his powerful friend that has magic powers and time-travel, but he's sorta glitched by being Shadow's clone and distorted by his own power. It all works out well despite the power differences."

"So you see it?" Rachel asked. "Huh. Alright, Thorn… We've got a half-and-half response here. Break the tie."

"Your comment last meeting is very agreeable," Thorn responded. "The world has a good chance of being done for if those two ever team up. Mephiles is… basically just a bunch of goopy darkness that has a crystalline and physical form."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh a bit at "goopy darkness."

"Scourge is a hedgehog with tons of ambition and such, always striving for power," said Thorn. "He's stubborn, reckless, and defiant. Mephy is smart, cunning, and parent to some extent. Personally, I think he'd only kill Scourge out of annoyance the same way he killed Sonic… if not in a more morbid manner."

"That makes sense," Rachel nodded. "Do you think that'd be at, like, the very first second, though?"

She stood.

Impersonating Mephiles, she lowered her voice's pitch and said "Oh, Scourge, you're so evil. I love you." She hugged the air.

Then, she said "Oh yeah, you've got that stupid ego. I hate you!" She then stabbed the air several times with an invisible knife, earning the audience's plentiful laugh.

"So we all agree, while it's not definite, there's something there," she smiled. "Next week… I have NEVER heard of this chick, and actually had to check to make sure she was canon, but she's shipped with Sonic. We're discussing the blue blur's shipping with Breezie the Hedgehog. Hmm. Anyway, see you all then!"

The cameras shut off, everyone went on their merry way… and Rachel took one step backstage to have the breath knocked out of her by the sight of Silver the Hedgehog sitting on the couch and biting a chocolate bar.

Immediately, he locked eyes on her and smiled "Hi! Seems I got here just in time!"

Rachel had several mindsets running through her mind. She wasn't sure whether to let herself slip back into the fangirl state she once had, give him the necessary greetings and walk off… or meet the perfect middle ground, and just be a great friend. Third option's the charm.

"Did you just walk in the door?" Rachel laughed.

"Literally five seconds ago," Silver laughed back.

"Why…" Rachel began, before stopping herself. This sounded much better in her head. That certain arrangement of words would NOT work… Oh, geez…

Before she knew it, a few seconds had gone by, and Silver's complexion had become one of worry.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head slightly.

"N-Nothing important," Rachel replied. "Just a question that sounded better in my head."

"…Ask it anyway," Silver said, standing up and completely facing her. "You can tell me anything, you know?"

Even if it was only by that much, he _was_ closer to her. Her heart picked up more than it should have.

"It's… just…" Rachel responded. "…This might be my inferiority complex talking, but I find it hard to believe that _you_ , one of the most famous of the Sonic cast… would make the time to come out here and associate yourself with me."

After fully grasping the words that came out of her mouth, she sighed.

"It's alright," she continued. "I just… really appreciate it. That's all. I just really appreciate you being my friend. Thank you."

Meanwhile, it didn't take a second thought for Silver to set his chocolate bar down and grasp Rachel in a tight hug. It might not have been like a book that she needed the hug… but he heard it in the breaths of her voice and saw it in the effort of her smile.

And especially with the mindset that she'd taken up, Rachel found herself giving a small gasp of surprise before she was able to hug back and take in the warmth.

"Of course," he said. "I gotta thank you for being a friend to me, too. Trust me when I say it: You're worth every minute."

Silver's eyes widened a bit when he realized that final part had been vocalized. Well… It was the truth. She needed that, too…

In response, Rachel asked "Really?"

"Yes, really," Silver nodded.

He suddenly realized that he'd rested his head on her shoulder. He quickly stood back up straight, even if only for the sake of not making the moment uncomfortable.

Letting go of her, but looking right into her eyes, he stated "Don't let yourself think you're not worth my time, because I _love_ coming out here and spending time with you. Remember that, no matter what."

Meanwhile, Rachel could not help herself from smiling as wide as her face would allow her to.

"T-Thank you," she said. "I… really appreciate hearing that."

She was near to being unsure of what to do at all. She was so happy… but happier than she should have been… right?

"Well," said Silver. "Everyone sometimes just needs to know just how much others care for them. I'm putting this out there officially… If you _ever_ need me, whether your car is broken down, or whether you just need someone to talk to… whether the sun is atop Mobius or below it… whether I'm free as a bird or in the middle of an interview… just let me know, okay?"

Everyone always called him the sweetheart of the group, Rachel supposed. She sighed. She couldn't be too surprised.

"Alright," she nodded. "I'll remember that. And I make you the same promise. I'm here for you, too."

"…Thank you," Silver smiled.

Rachel watched him for another second before going to walk toward her bag.

Right before she could put her hand on it, though, Silver said "And you know what I realized, too?"

Picking up her bag, Rachel turned around to face him, asking "Oh? What would that be?"

"I've never gotten a picture with you," said Silver.

At this, fear was stricken into Rachel's gut. Strangely.

"It might sound strange for what I do," Rachel replied. "But I don't like seeing or hearing myself in photos or videos. It's a fear I'm tackling, what with being a freaking TV show host and everything."

"I had that too, at first," said Silver, working with his phone. "Really badly, actually. But you learn to tackle it."

And within a few seconds, he has his phone in the air and his arm around Rachel. Seeing their faces on the screen, Rachel instinctively smiled.

"I need one of these pictures of us," Silver explained.

And within hours after they parted ways that night, they each had the ultimate selfie to look back on. And for the internet to take as it will.

* * *

 **Author's note: I know the one-year anniversary of this was almost two months ago... but I've officially published enough episodes of this that it equals the number of weeks in a year! Thank you all, though, for sticking with me, no matter how long!**


	54. Episode 53 (Sonic x Breezie)

**Props: Thanks this week go to Reaver17, Hedgehogwriter07, and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT. Without you, this would have crashed and burned before it even took off.**

 **Reasons for lateness: Late start. I was also writing this during the opening ceremony in Rio, so I had to find any moment where there wasn't something interesting happening.**

* * *

*Rachel's POV*

"I am technically Black Arms," the lizard-like creature introduced himself. "No, I am not here to destroy Mobius, and no, I won't eat anyone. Well… depending on how discriminatory they act."

"Anyone dies," Elektor answered, walking out from his office. "And everyone boots you out of here. Capiche?"

"Glad to have you on board, Void," Rachel answered. "It's always interesting to have some new blood here."

Funny she said that…

Anyway, this lizard-like former elite of the Black Arms was known as Void the Remnant. He was covered in black lizard skin, outlined with golden tattoo-like patterns. Spikes ran down his back and on his shoulders. On his shoulders sat a head that vaguely resembled that of a hedgehog, but in the place of quills were three tendrils, also outlined in gold. He had a steel gray muzzle that didn't have a nose. He had twice the number of eyes of a normal Mobian. None of the four of them had pupils, but they were purple and veined with black lines. Two of them were where a normal Mobian's would be, while the latter two were above the first two and slightly more separated. A golden plate sat on his forehead. Each hand and foot had three fingers and toes… or claws, if you may. His tail ended in a point resembling that of a butcher's knife.

And within about 20 minutes, he waited with Thorn and Sarah behind the curtain.

"What's crackin', guys?" Rachel asked the audience. "Welcome to another night of pairing two people together and judging it for everything it's worth. Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave its usual jovial cheer.

"I'm sorry to say that my opinion is based purely off of what I've heard," said Rachel. "I hear Breezie's kind of a con artist. And something tells me Sonic wouldn't like that. Or… is he the type to go with anyone as long as they're hot? I honestly have no idea. I can't really say. Well… let's see what our three guests have to say. Two are returners to the ring… meaning WE'VE GOT A NEWCOMER!"

The audience's interest was piqued, which became clear in the quiet lull of a gasp that crashed over them.

"Let's get our veterans out here first," said Rachel. "Welcome back to the stage… Sarah and Thorn!"

The audience gave a warm applause as the buddies of the place strutted their ways to their seats.

"Up next, we've got someone with a bit of an interesting background," Rachel explained. "Don't let that put you off, though! He means well and is quite nice!"

She realized what she'd just said.

"Please welcome to our stage, for the very first time," she smiled. "Void the Remnant!"

Despite his alien-like persona, the audience kept its integrity and gave Void numerous smiles in the form of applause as he nervously paced onstage and took a seat by Sarah.

"Welcome to our studio, Void!" Rachel beamed, taking her own seat. "…I'm not forgetting this time. Void… Anyone who steps into these lights as a newcomer is always asked one certain little question."

Sarah and Thorn looked to Void with bits of smiles on their faces.

"You don't have to answer it, because I understand its nature," Rachel explained. "But I must ask it. Tradition. So Void… Do you have your heart set on any of the Sonic characters?"

Void almost stumbled out of his chair.

"U-Uh…" he responded. "Let's just say that even if there wasn't a whole dimensional boundary, I… don't… I'm not exactly charming, okay?"

"A-Alright, gotcha," said Rachel. "It's fine. Besides, someone who truly deserves you will love you for who you already are. If you gotta change, they don't deserve you. So… Let's get your say first. Sonic and Breezie… A breath of fresh air? Or carbon monoxide?"

"Basically, does it rock or does it suck?" said Thorn.

"Breezie is a con artist," Void responded. "She's swindled Sonic and crew too many times for there to be any chemistry. She coerced them into a fighting tournament over a Chaos Emerald, just to pocket as much cash as she could. Sonic would sooner toss her into a detention facility than shake hands with her. To him, she's just a criminal. To her, he's just a 'creative revenue stream.'"

"…Yikes…" Rachel replied. "Didn't think I'd be gaining a new enemy tonight."

Oh, what she didn't know…

"Sarah, what do you think?" asked Rachel.

"Breezie…" Sarah murmured. "…Breezie…"

Then, she realized it.

"Oh! Agent Breezie!" she said. "Eggman mentioned her once. But when I met Sonic and the gang, they told me that she was well reformed and a giant success in business. If I remember this all correctly… when they met her, Sonic liked her and wrote her a love poem, which caused her to rebel. Then… she used him in a fighting competition for money purposes. So I don't believe this could work. When I heard about the competition, I figured that them getting in a relationship would only end up in Sonic being used for money. Not to mention that if Amy's on the team, she'll be smashing Breezie to bits if she learns everything. Literally."

"Uh huh," Rachel nodded. "And at this rate, I'd like to see that happen. Go Amy!"

Everyone else chuckled.

"And Thorn," Rachel said. "Does it rock or does it suck?"

"Okay, so I remember…" said Thorn. "In one of the old TV shows, she was a robot built to lure Sonic into a trap. This involved him 'saving' her from Scratch and Grounder. I don't know much about her, though from what I have seen, she's greedy and manipulative… so this wouldn't really work out well."

"So here's what I'm thinking," Rachel said, standing up. "…Add integrity and the regard for the feelings of others… and you've got Vector."

Some of the audience burst out into laughter.

"Vector, if you're watching… I'm sorry," Rachel laughed. "Anyway, next week… I don't believe we've addressed Shadow and Tikal yet. No, I don't believe we've nailed the brooding hero and the spirit from within the Emerald yet. See you all then!"

At that, the camera shut off, and everyone went their separate ways.

And for once, Rachel could actually get pretty close to her car before it all hit the fan.

"Hey," a feminine voice called out to her. "Excuse me! Do you work here?"

Rachel turned around to meet the mysterious green-eyed stare of a purple hedgehog. She wore a green tank top that only went down to her stomach, and blue jeans. Her purple locks went down to the middle of her back. Rachel couldn't necessarily read an age range.

"Yeah, we just finished up tonight's show," Rachel answered.

"Would you happen to know if Elektor the Hedgehog works here?" the hedgehog asked… immediately.

So immediately, in fact, that Rachel couldn't help the creepy feeling in her intuition. She asked that entirely too soon. As if she wanted to cut to the chase… Cut to Elektor…

Cut _through_ Elektor.

"…May I ask who you are?" was all that Rachel could think to ask.

The hedgehog immediately frowned and furrowed her brows.

"My name is Viola," she stated.

Bingo. Time to dig up the ol' game face. It'd been a while.

"Listen," Viola stated. "He's here. I know it, and you can't hide that from me."

Who figured she'd be getting into a fight anytime soon?

"…Look…" said Rachel. "Are you the same Viola who dated Elektor a while back?"

"…Is that any of your business?" asked Viola, taking a quick step toward Rachel.

"As his coworker, I'd say it is," Rachel replied. "Are you the Viola the Hedgehog that deliberately went out of her way to make Elektor's face fall like a rock? Are you the same Viola that took Elektor's love and shattered it in your blood-glazed fist, then sprinkled the contents in his eyes?"

Viola let out a growl.

And Rachel just then realized what she was getting herself into. But it was a dark road that she couldn't turn back from now.

"Are you the same Viola the Hedgehog that broke my friend's heart?"

Viola's face was contorted to a hellish degree now.

In an attempt to fix her faux pas, Rachel cleared her throat and asked "I apologize for my rash behavior. It's just that… well… I cannot stand by and let my companions cry out in pain. What do you want from him, then?"

Unfortunately, this seemed to put the final spark to the fuse. Viola's arm went back. Rachel's eye snapped to the fist at its end, and in response, she ducked.

This, however, only led to said fist making a mind-blowing connection to her left cheek. Stumbling back and rubbing that corner of her mouth, she tried desperately to get the taste of blood out of her mouth.

"Listen, bitch," Viola growled. "You might think that just because you guys came up with this neat little idea together… that just sweetly hands you the warrant to steal his heart."

"I-" Rachel tried to respond. Viola reacted by launching her elbow into Rachel's jaw.

"Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth!" Viola screeched. "I just know he's missed me. He'll regret turning me away."

"T-THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT _YOU_ DID!" Rachel shouted.

"And your proof?" Viola asked, walking up to Rachel's face. "Hearsay?"

Viola then proceeded to give Rachel an uppercut.

"Thanks for the help," she sneered before walking away. "He's not who you think he is. I'm getting revenge for the both of us. I'm setting him straight."

After a few seconds, Rachel decided to follow her. That is… before her sense of hearing began to fade. It then came back, and Rachel realized that this was going to be a race against her own self.

That race, however, did not last for long. Before possible comprehension… and after seeing Viola walk inside… everything blacked out.

*?'s POV*

He closed the huge oak door behind him. Curious little theater… You didn't see many with such an ancient design anymore. The ceiling went up so high that he knew this place could've held another level. In front of him were five staircases, leading up to a metal walkway by five doors, each laced with a red stage curtain.

He took the middle door, walking into the main showroom. There were dozens of perfectly-aligned teal chairs, upholstered to near-perfection. They all faced a simple-looking show stage, with a black curtain that must've led backstage. He knew this much when he heard a feminine voice and a masculine voice go back and forth in what appeared to be a worried argument.

Then, after a final remark from the feminine voice, it went silent. Feeling a bit worried himself, he dashed down the stairs, hopped over a railing, and walked up to the curtain, where he peeked within.

Backstage held just a few orange couches, from his angle of view, and a door to what must've been another office. He identified the masculine voice from before as belonging to a dark-gray hedgehog with lemon colored eyes.

"…B-But… you…" this hedgehog stammered.

The feminine voice this entire time had come from a purple hedgehog, with long hair and emerald-green eyes.

"It was all one big misunderstanding," she cooed. "Trust me, I can explain it all."

She then took one step closer to the former hedgehog, placing a finger on his chin. In response, the male hedgehog's breath began to quiver.

All of a sudden, the curtain right in front of him rustled. In instinctive response, he turned invisible.

Within milliseconds, a black and white cheetah was looking back and forth. However the hell had she sensed that someone was here?!

Fortunately, after a few seconds, it seemed like she had seen nothing and was about to withdraw back into whatever situation was unfolding here. For some reason.

Unfortunately… she then got another idea and leaned back out, waving her hand.

She managed to make contact with his arm with her thumb. And at that, he reappeared out of shock.

The cheetah shrunk back in surprise.

"Thorn?" asked the male hedgehog from before. He then took a look past the cheetah and nearly fell over in shock as well.

And after taking one look at each other… at the same time… almost in harmony… the cheetah and the hedgehog asked "Espio?!"

They'd figured him out.

"…I wasn't sure whether or not to intrude," he sighed. "It seemed like there was something serious being resolved back here."

"No, nothing too serious," the female hedgehog from before stated… a little too calmly. "What can we do for ya?"

"I'm here on behalf of the Chaotix Detective Agency," Espio explained. "I was asked to speak with Rachel the Fox about some matters."

The male hedgehog stomped his foot in exasperation.

"Damn, dude," he said. "You _just_ missed her. She just walked out the door about a minute ago."

Espio then noticed the way the female hedgehog looked down at the floor. There was nothing to even hypothetically connect this to, but it was still extremely strange. He made a mental note of it.

"I'm told she's here every Friday night," said Espio, pacing toward the back door. "Is that correct?"

"Anyone who's involved with the show will usually be here every Friday night," the male hedgehog nodded. "Occasionally, we have to postpone until Saturday afternoon, but we try our hardest not to let that happen. And we always alert everyone on our social media whenever we have to take a week off."

"Thank you," Espio nodded with a slight smile. "That was very helpful."

"I suppose we'll see you next week," the male hedgehog shrugged timidly.

"…I suppose," Espio sighed, opening the door. "Farewell for now."

He then stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

He supposed he would've been in a much worse situation if he had been of a species with fur. For the dead of night, the sun's effects hadn't even begun to leave the air. Even he began to sweat.

The backside of the area was slightly creepier and less organized. There was a small field of grass over to the left, and a road leaving the parking lot off to the right… but lining the horizon was a huge forest, for the most part. Who had built a theater in such a desolate place?

The parking lot held a few cars. This must've been an employee-exclusive parking lot.

…Wait. Was that… someone on the ground?!

Espio could only make this person out as a black and orange silhouette, only visible because of the orange streetlight behind them. The figure had a tail and ears that identified them as a fox. The figure also had long hair and eyeglasses.

The figure seemed to be trying to lift themselves up, struggling immensely because of apparent lack of strength. In the process, they let out a couple of gasps, and the voice within them identified the figure as female.

…Was this…

He'd passed by as Vector was watching Thoughts of the Unknown a couple of times before. This was Rachel!

"Hey!" shouted Espio, running up to the fox and kneeling down beside her.

One of the lenses of her glasses had a huge crack coming from the corner, and blood quickly oozed from her face. She had been hurt!

"What happened to you?!" Espio panicked, holding her by the shoulders as she lost the strength in her arms.

"…Vi…" Rachel murmured. "…D-Don't let her fool you…"

She then managed to turn her head to look at him. By the light of the streetlight, Espio could barely notice that her eyes were a deep blue, almost like that of a Chaos Emerald.

"O-Oh!" she reacted, jerking back in her spot. "It's you! What are you doing here?!"

"…I originally came on behalf of the Chaotix Detective Agency to discuss advertising with you," Espio explained.

He looked straight into her eyes without exactly meaning to.

"But that's not the matter at this moment," he continued, more worried. "Do you think you might have a concussion?"

"…Maybe," said Rachel.

"In that case, stay awake," he instructed. "Do whatever you can to keep your eyes open."

He then stood up, trying to help her to her feet in the process.

"I'm taking you to the hospital, alright?" he said. "Thank heck there's one just down the street..."

Slowly, but surely, they made their way toward the car that Espio had come here in. It was a bit run-down, but it was also handily compact. It was also red.

As they approached the door to the passenger seat, Espio asked "Who did this to you?!"

His anger and worry hadn't welded together like this in a LONG while, he realized.

"Viola," Rachel responded. "Viola… t-the…"

She was getting quieter…

After Espio opened the door, he delicately set Rachel inside, buckled her seat belt, and lightly but quickly patted her cheek. Fortunately, in response, her eyes opened all the way again. Quickly, he closed the door and dashed over to the driver's side, getting in and buckling his own seat belt.

"Viola the what?" asked Espio. "…Was she the hedgehog I saw in there?"

"She's a purple hedgehog," Rachel explained.

"That's her," Espio said to himself, starting the car. "What did she do to you?"

"A couple of punches and an elbow," said Rachel.

Within the minute, the car was on the road. Never had such a short drive been such a… _long_ drive. It was a balance between keeping his eyes on the road and looking out for animals, making sure he wasn't going to be held up by the police for speeding (he found himself doing that about 80% of the time), and looking over to Rachel to check on her.

Before he knew it, he was pulling into the circular pathway that connected to the ER's entrance.

Unbuckling himself, he looked over to find, much to his distress, that Rachel was out again.

Without really knowing it, he shouted her name.

Not a movement.

"No…" he shuddered to himself, getting out. "No no no…"

Fortunately, as soon as he explained "She's been seriously injured! She's unconscious!" she was quickly rolled back to where she needed to be. All of the doctors seemed concerned, so Espio knew that she was being left in good hands.

Thank goodness for that…

Within a matter of time, though, he realized that he had lost track of his surroundings when his damp face met the hand of an EMT, who appeared to be a yellow-eyed bat.

"I can't allow you past this point," he explained solemnly. "We think she'll be okay… but the worst always has the potential to happen."

"BUT…" Espio tried to come back.

Wait… Why wasn't he being reasonable? This wasn't like him! Damn him for the moment!

"…I understand," he sighed, getting _most_ of his composure back. "Please…"

"We'll do the best we can," the EMT nodded, turning around.

And that's the story of how Espio found himself in the waiting room of a hospital for the night.

*Vector's POV*

"Whaddaya think's holding him up?" Charmy asked, barely staying within his seat belt.

"I dunno, Charmy," Vector sighed, trying to keep his eyes on this dark and lonely road. "I hope he didn't get smitten with the chick or something."

Suddenly, they passed a hospital. Nothing of a biggie to Charmy, right?

Wouldn't have been… if he hadn't noticed the red car right by the ER's door. One with a dent by one of the back doors.

"HEY!" Charmy yelled. "The car! By the hospital!"

"Charmy, there are many red cars in this universe," Vector sighed. "…Hey, I got an idea. How about you count all of the red cars you see until we get to the studio, alright?"

"I've counted one so far," said Charmy. "One with the dent by the back door that looks strangely like a crocodile's face."

And with that, Vector made a U-turn.

They soon parked right by the red car, examining it through the windows and finding that it was indeed the one they'd assigned to Espio for this mission. Oh, no… Had he gotten injured and had to drive himself to get help?!

They paced inside to find Espio sitting in the waiting room, looking _much_ more unsettled than usual.

If Vector didn't know better, he'd think the chameleon was about to start crying.

"'Ey, Espio!" Vector said, so loud that it echoed off of the walls. "What happened?"

Espio first hastily shushed Vector (much to the crocodile's embarrassment), then opened his eyes, turned as much as he could to face them, and then set his face in his right hand.

"I inquired to some nearby hedgehogs about where she was," he explained. "I was told that she had just left a minute prior to my appearance. I stepped outside, though, to find her on the ground in the middle of the parking lot. She had been seriously injured."

Charmy gasped, and Vector asked "Who did it?"

"Someone named Viola the Hedgehog," said Espio. "Several injuries to the head that gave her an evident concussion."

He sighed, really shakily. Vector picked up on how unusual it seemed.

"Do they think she'll be okay?" asked Vector.

"…One of the EMTs predicted that she will," said Espio.

"Would it be alright if we tried to speak with her?" Vector questioned.

"She's unconscious at the moment," said Espio. "…Maybe when she can return to work… It would be disrespectful to show that our interest is invested in such monetary matters when… h-her _life_ could've just been hanging in the balance…"

"…E-Espio…" Vector responded, giving a caring look to his friend. "I think she'll be okay…. Calm down, alright?"

*Elektor's POV*

"…I… pushed you away?" Elektor asked.

"It sure felt like it," Viola sighed with an innocent air. "Radaro, your partner for the camp? He actually _talked_ to me that summer. You were all focused on getting that trailer _just_ right. I… I-I felt like I'd lost you. I was waiting for my ride home that day, I got lost in Radaro's eyes, and… well… I knew I just had to show him how much I appreciated his compassion."

A moment of silence. In which Elektor was suddenly addicted to that emerald green…

"But I won't force anything on you," Viola responded, twirling to face the door and emitting a small, yet somehow seductive laugh. "Think it over. I'm just… so glad I could finally clear everything up between us."

She opened the door.

"Bye, Lecky," Viola giggled.

Then, she was gone. Leaving Elektor in a hopeless trance. He wasn't sure whether to cry or whether to dance.

"…Viola…" he sighed, without even realizing it.

* * *

 **Author's note: I… got a bit carried away. But I, by myself, don't regret it a single bit. I** _ **still**_ **feel like I'm losing touch with my inner author lately, and in the obviously story-driven portion of this, I felt as if my heart was beating content directly to my fingers again. I wish all writing was like that anymore, because it felt** _ **amazing**_ **. But if it irks you, I'm thoroughly sorry and would like to know if I gotta quit it. Be sure to let me know!**


	55. Episode 54 (Shadow x Tikal)

**Props: Thanks this week go to Hedgehogwriter07, Reaver17, and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for the OCs and opinions. And thanks to the one known as "random gal" for checking in! It's great to hear from you again!**

 **Reason for lateness: I got distracted, actually. This one's all on me.**

* * *

Rachel sat down on the nearest couch and was about to withdraw her phone from her pocket, when the doorknob of the back door practically kissed the adjacent wall.

And standing in the doorway, rocking many more spikes than Rachel last remembered, was Void.

Here it is.

She felt her neck twinge with a bit of pain as she crawled back against the arm of the couch that was furthest from the door. She feared for her life.

Void's teeth were bared. And Rachel was half convinced that angry saliva was soon to start running from between them.

Something, and Rachel didn't know what, had made him _angry_.

Pummeling a wall of fear in her throat, Rachel set a foot down on the ground and asked "Is everything alright?"

"It's as I said last week!" Void exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and walking over to sit by Rachel. "People discriminate me, it won't turn out well."

"Oh, shoot…" Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry that happened."

Then, Void looked over at her.

"You don't know how much it means to me that you understand," he sighed.

"Hey, I understand, too!" came a female voice from over by the stage. And soon enough, Sarah was standing by that edge of the couch.

"I like ya, Void!" exclaimed another voice, before Void was being embraced around the neck by Thorn.

"…I gotta go back to school soon," Sarah groaned.

"Ah, I'm sure you'll do great," Thorn smiled.

Rachel couldn't help but smile as well. Ah, such a small model of what everyone wanted the entire world to be painted as… She had such a supportive pack. It was great.

Then, Sarah looked over to Rachel and was nearly thrown off by the brace around her neck.

"Rachel, I heard you were hurt pretty badly," Sarah worried. "What happened?"

At that, Void and Thorn were staring at Rachel, too.

"…I was beat up," Rachel sighed.

"By who?" Thorn asked, slightly irritated. "I wanna beat that ol' meanie to next Saturday!"

"I-It's okay," Rachel sighed. "I don't think anything good would come from revenge at this point."

But saying that honestly did hurt. And the trio before her picked up on that easily.

The show, though, did have to go on. And just a few minutes later, Rachel's supportive pack was waiting behind the curtain for their roll call.

"So let's quit wastin' time and flip those lights on!" Rachel beamed. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience applauded with their usual excitement.

"So this week, we're discussing the shipping of a spirit and an immortal," Rachel said. "Huh. Humorously opposite. Anyway… I think there'd be a solid connection between them if they met… but nothing that jumps out at me as soulmate material. I mean, by all means, I think that if they continued their companionship correctly, there's perfect potential for a perfect love here… but sometimes, you can see whether or not that's gonna happen. I have no clue. If they connect, they'd have a great time. Well… Let's see if our guests have a more solid opinion. They all are returners to the ring. Please, welcome back… Sarah, Void, and Thorn!"

The audience clapped heartily as the three excited guests smiled and made their ways to their seats.

"Hi, guys!" Rachel waved, sitting in her own seat. "So… Shadow and Tikal? Beautiful bond or polar mess?"

"Have Shadow and Tikal even met?" asked Sarah. "I'm not sure if this could work. IF they ever meet, Tikal might be close to him due to her friendliness… but I don't believe they could get past friendship. I mean, she's Knuckles's ancestor, too. I don't think Shadow wants to tick off Knuckles any more than he already has. Then again… I don't know. It could work in some way."

"So you're not quite sure, either?" asked Rachel.

"This could most definitely work," Void said. "Initially, it would be a sort of unity through pain, seeing as they've both lost those close to them. I think they could help each other through that pain and eventually develop deeper feelings, plus Tikal could act as a sort of calming factor and help him act… uh, more tolerable, I suppose. No offense, Shads."

"I doubt any will be taken," Rachel laughed. "But yeah… I never saw it like that…"

"These two…" said Thorn. "…To be honest, I know little about Tikal herself, so correct me if I'm wrong on anything… but Tikal is a guardian spirit over the Master Emerald, and Shadow is a slow-aging, badass hedgehog. From my thought, and their personalities, I can kinda see this, though it's unlikely."

"Alright," Rachel nodded, standing up. "So we have mixed opinions here. It either happens or it doesn't, huh?"

"Much like I'd think many relationships go," Void agreed.

"Well, that's all for this week," Rachel said to the camera. "Next week, join us again… when we wonder what it's like when another echidna is paired with that notorious thief of a bat. We wonder what Dr. Finitevus and Rouge would look like together. See you all then!"

At that, the camera flipped off, and everyone went their separate ways. Rachel's was backstage.

 _ **The previous week…**_

 _There were varied ways as to how people found out that this TV show hostess had suddenly gone from in-the-shadows to_ hospitalized. _Unless you were a doctor at that hospital, or the Chaotix, the news came to you from the local news station._

 _For Amy, who read the words in bold, the news brought shock. She was shuddering in reaction, and Sonic ran in to figure out what'd gotten into her. This was how he found out, in turn. Sonic gave Amy a hug and went to return to his previous activities, merely keeping Rachel in mind. However, seeing that Amy was walking toward the door, he stopped her to find that she was going to the hospital. He then decided to show his concern and go as well._

 _For Silver, who had heard the news straight from a reporter's mouth (through a speaker), the news brought unspeakable horror. He was just washing the dishes after dinner when he thought he heard a female voice say the words "Unknown" and "hospital" in the same sentence. He paid full attention to the TV, when the reporter explained that Rachel was allegedly attacked in the back parking lot of the studio. At that, a solid "WHAT?!" could be heard throughout the house. Soon after that, he nearly broke the plate he was holding when he dropped it, grabbed the keys, and ran out._

 _For Vector and Charmy, who heard it straight from the witness's mouth, it brought concern that they swore they never felt before. Well, more accurately, Charmy was floating around absent-mindedly because he couldn't necessarily relate to why Vector was so quiet and Espio looked like part of his world had blown up, and why they were waiting in a hospital._

 _And for Espio, who saw it second-for-second… every passing minute was absolutely harrowing. He knew Rachel would be okay… but something deep down just wasn't having any of that relief. She was hurt, and that was horrible enough. How could anyone…_

 _Soon enough, Vector looked to find that Sonic, Amy, and Silver were rushing their ways through the door._

" _Guys!" Vector greeted, without much control of his volume._

" _Have you guys heard anything about what happened to her?" Amy asked._

" _How is she?" asked Silver, whose eyes seemed to be glistening for some reason._

" _What's going on?" asked Sonic, looking at the both of them as if he was concerned they were about to pass out._

" _Espio could tell you more than I could," said Vector. "He was the one who brought her here."_

 _Fortunately, Espio was prepared for practically all the eyes in the room to be on him. He looked at everyone and sighed._

" _She was attacked, like you might have heard," he sighed. "It's pretty clear she got a concussion from it. And to be honest, I don't know much more than that."_

" _Do you have an idea as to who did it?" asked Silver. "A physical description or anything?"_

 _Looking at Silver, Espio was taken aback by the rage that seemed to burn in his eye. He sighed, debating whether or not to rope everyone else as far into this as he was._

 _Maybe they could help bring the bitch down._

" _A female purple hedgehog," he said. "That's all I know."_

" _That's not much," Sonic shrugged. "I see at least three of those a day."_

 _Of course._

 _Another silent minute went by._

" _I just…" said Amy. "Who'd want to hurt Rachel? She's so sweet."_

" _I heard a rumor that the attacker was an ex of Thoughts of the Unknown's head producer," said Sonic, who was just coming back with a bag of chips from the candy machine._

 _Right after the last "r" rolled off of Sonic's tongue, the door down the hall opened, revealing a bat who only Espio recognized. It was strange how much Espio's heart leapt when he noticed how calm the bat looked._

" _She's awake now," he stated. "She should avoid heavy activity for a while, but she should be back to normal in no time."_

 _Everyone in the waiting room breathed a collective sigh of relief, with Espio's including a quiet "Oh, thank God…"_

" _Are we allowed to see her?" asked Silver._

"… _Yes," said the bat. "If you will, follow me."_

 _Meanwhile, Rachel, who had just changed back into her normal clothes, walked out of the room and almost felt her heart stop when she ran into twelve concerned eyes and six smiles. There was Sonic, Amy, Vector, Charmy… Silver, who looked as if he would glomp her if she was in better condition…_

 _And Espio, leading them all._

 _Their reactions to seeing her were varying levels of relief. Silver ended up walking over to her and giving her a light hug._

 _After he let go, Espio walked up to her and said "It is such a relief to see that you're okay."_

"… _Who thought this would be how we'd meet?" Rachel smiled, holding out her right hand. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me."_

 _She wanted to say more. Trust me, she did._

 _Taking her hand and shaking it, Espio responded "Don't mention it."_

 **This week…**

Rachel walked backstage to feel her heart skip a beat again. Was that going to be a norm?

Well… this time, it was because the Chaotix Detective Agency was sitting on the couch. Well, more accurately, Charmy was flying around the backstage area, and Vector was trying to convince him to be more like Espio, who almost looked to be meditating on the couch.

…She wondered how someone could seriously do that. He looked so at peace.

She was snapped out of something when Vector greeted her with "Hey, Rachel!"

"Hm?" Rachel responded. "Hi!"

She held out a hand.

"As you might know, I'm Rachel the Fox, hostess of the TV show known as Thoughts of the Unknown. How can I help you?"

Shaking her hand, Vector smiled "We'd like to discuss the possibility of advertising with you. Business has been a bit slow at the agency."

"We have NO customers!" Charmy said, before being grabbed by the antenna by Espio. Heh… That was kinda cute…

"I know the feeling," said Rachel. "Of course."

"Forgive me for interrupting," said Espio. "But how are you feeling?"

He was looking right at her. Why was that… something? But it was certainly something, for some reason, because Rachel's heart leapt in a familiar fashion.

"I still hurt a little," Rachel responded, honestly flattered. "But I've recovered from the incident."

She quickly looked back to Vector.

"So let's talk," she stated. "How would'ja like it done? Casual mention? A banner? Because if you're talking about a TV commercial, I'm unfortunately not in charge of that."

"Hey, a banner sounds good!" Vector beamed.

"Alright," said Rachel, walking over to where Elektor's office was. "You can make it yourselves, or if you're terrible at art, we could make it for a fee."

At that, the door from Elektor's office opened. Soon after came Elektor, whose foot jammed against a slightly raised board in the floor.

As a result, his phone flew from his hand.

And Rachel hopped up and caught it.

"…Here you are," she stated, handing it back to Elektor.

"How-" Elektor tried to say.

"If you'll follow me out to the stage, we can try to set up a space for it," Rachel said before pacing toward the stage.

Once she got there, she found that only Espio and Vector had followed her.

"That upper level is generally where the stage crew is running around," Rachel continued. "But it's in camera view. The audience will see it a good number of times."

As it is with any area where the stage crew is running around, a raccoon in charge of lights was doing just that. And she tripped and found her phone careening over the railing.

And into Rachel's hand.

"So take a look," said Rachel. "Let me know where you think you'd like a banner."

At that, she paced toward the nearest staircase, as to return the raccoon's phone to her.

Vector and Espio, however, couldn't keep their eyes off of her for a few seconds.

The difference is that Vector was able to look away and forget about her after said few seconds.

* * *

 **Question for the reader: There have been many instances throughout Thoughts of the Unknown's entire existence where I've wanted to drop either the s-bomb or the f-bomb and didn't out of fear. Should I take complete freedom in my vocabulary?**


	56. Episode 55 (Dr Finitevus x Rouge)

**Props: My thanks this week go to Reaver17, Oceanic Coral (seriously missed you, buddy!), Hedgehogwriter07, and ZeroPhoenix230 (a.k.a. ZeroPhoenix230 Reloaded) for the OCs and opinions. It means literally everything, remember!**

 **Reasons for lateness: Technology and my illness. My tablet was really slow and I didn't feel good at all.**

* * *

A certain ebony hedgehog was feeling a little peckish as he walked into the studio that afternoon. Everyone was kinda running around and preparing for the taping.

Their urgency would make sense. Another sighting of Eggman in the area had forced the diligent crew to postpone. In fact, that's why this certain ebony hedgehog known as Shadow had been here since the previous night.

"But a sighting of Eggman? If you don't see him, that means you're good, right?" Eggman's a clever SOB, and Shadow could sit you down and tell you all about it over a quart of tea. There could've been a bomb implanted in the ground, robots implanted within the foundations of the walls… He swore he always felt like something was off.

So seeing that bowl of potato chips on the table by Elektor's office was a more heavenly thing than he figured it would be.

Without really thinking much, he found the biggest chip in the pile and picked it out. Never had a potato chip looked so… succulent. Savory. _Beautiful_.

He crunched it, chewed it, and enjoyed it. It was a little over the top on the salt front.

And pretty soon after that, an electrifying voice asked "'Ey! Who told you that you could eat my chips?"

Looking up and over by the chairs in the back, he saw Mercury. It'd been so long…

And he had to know just why that was. He picked up the bowl of chips and held it close to his chest.

"Where were you for all this time?" Shadow asked, looking Mercury dead in the face.

Meanwhile, Mercury could only stand there and wonder why Shadow's eyes were so wide. He didn't blink, either.

"I was… gone on a vacation," she explained.

Seeming to lighten up a bit, Shadow asked "Where?"

"Emerald Coast," said Mercury. "My cousin, one of my best friends, had her wedding there and needed me to come out _way_ beforehand."

Shadow stared at her for another three seconds. In that three seconds, neither of them thought their blood could rush any faster.

"…Alright," Shadow sighed, setting the bowl down and heading toward the stage in an attempt to find Rachel.

Mercury, skeptically picking the bowl up, asked "Why?"

Shadow slowly turned around, trying to hold something back, and responded "Why what?"

But Mercury only smiled at him. Damn, she was good…

"I-I just…" Shadow stuttered. "…There was a difference. I notice differences."

He quickly paced through the curtain and onstage. Not before Mercury saw his face get hot, though… and not before her own face rose by a few degrees.

Meanwhile, Shadow scanned the chairs to find every single one of them empty… except for, like, one green hedgehog who was eating a piece of pizza off in the corner.

He then thought to turn around and look up, which is how he found Rachel… and two thirds of the Chaotix? From what he could see, Espio and Rachel were hammering nails into the wall, and Vector was measuring the distance between the nails for a second time.

Right at that moment, Vector glanced back and saw him. The other two soon followed suit.

"Shadow?!" Vector exclaimed, nearly dropping the tape measure.

"Long time no see," Shadow smirked, drawing a chuckle from Rachel.

"It's been a while," Vector beamed, walking up to the railing. "Whaddarya doing here?"

"Oh, I dunno… Inspecting the place for Eggman's wrath?" Shadow sighed.

Espio instinctively nodded. It'd been a long night.

"I heard about that," said Vector.

"Thank you for your work," Rachel smiled to Shadow. "We all really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Shadow smiled back.

He glanced at Espio and knew what to say next.

"Though I wasn't necessarily on my own terms," he said. "Those GUN freaks were bossing me and Espio around."

"Wait, he was there?" Vector asked, looking at Espio confusedly.

"I suppose I didn't think to alert you," Espio sighed. "Sorry about that."

"I know you went for a walk," Vector shrugged.

Rachel swore she could've fallen from her chair. Espio was there as well, huh?

She turned to him and said "Oh, you were there too? Thank you!"

"Of course," Espio nodded back with a happy smile.

Just a few minutes later, the banner was hanging up, so perfectly that Rachel felt extremely proud. Whoever said the colors vanilla, green, and white looked terrible side-by-side… never knew the Chaotix Detective Agency would hang a banner in this studio.

On a green and white background sat the most convincing advertisement she thought she'd ever seen. To the left were cut-out headshots of Vector, Espio, and Charmy. To the right were the words "Lost hope on a mystery? There are three capable detectives eager to help out! Contact the Chaotix Detective Agency with the case!" purple and outlined with gold.

"Looks really nice," Rachel smiled. "Who put it together, anyway?"

More proudly than he intended, Vector stepped up and answered "Espio took care o' most of the graphical stuff, with my help!"

Vector saw a ball, he did. And he was gonna get that biotch ROLLING.

"Well, it looks really nice," Rachel reiterated.

Meanwhile, said chameleon felt his face get a bit warm.

Rachel turned to Vector, held out a hand, and said "It's been absolutely fun working with you."

Vector shook her hand and smiled "We really appreciate it, Rachel."

Without really planning on it, Espio blurted "This was fun for us, too." What was that?!

To his slight relief, Rachel giggled and replied "Glad to hear that!"

"You've already done this for us, and we can't thank you enough," Vector said. "But… if we may… Can we sit in on today's show?"

"Well… you're already here…" Rachel pondered. "I can give you guys a discount on a couple of seats. I-If you guys are absolutely sure."

"I am," Vector nodded, turning around to face Espio.

"I can wait backstage," said Espio.

About 15 minutes later, various people were in various places. Elektor was in his office, Espio and Shadow were making casual chat backstage, Vector was nearly bouncing up-and-down in his front-row $20 seat like a candy-infused kid, and Rachel watched as the cameras flipped on.

"So, uh… Sandwiches, right?" Rachel began. "Yeah, sandwiches? Like, does it ever piss you off how they have a nerve to trap helpless ingredients and exploit them to our mouths?"

The audience, and pretty much everyone else, got a good laugh out of that.

"Like, seriously!" Rachel laughed along. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The laughter was drowned out by an almost overwhelming wave of applause akin to that handed to late-night comedians. This connection invigorated Rachel all the way through.

"This week, I discuss a new face and an old thief," she said. "Dr. Finitevus and Rouge the Bat… as a couple. From what I've heard, it's almost akin to what I've heard about the Joker and Harley Quinn. But I've never seen much of them, either. Something tells me Rouge has a bit too much respect for herself to let herself get caught up in whatever Dr. von Creepy (as one of our guests refers to him) has going on. I can't say much 'cause I dunno much. Let's get our guests out here. Maybe they can help me out. Welcome back to the stage… Void, Mercury, Sarah, and Obsidian Prime!"

The crowd applauded as everyone found their seats.

"Hey, guys!" said Rachel. "So… this doctor and this agent. Partners or rivals in crime?"

"This is too weird for words," said Void. "A smooth-talking thief who loves living her life doesn't exactly pair up with a deranged echidna whose sole purpose in life is to destroy the universe. That's really all I have to say."

"Simple as that, huh?" said Rachel.

"Well, for one," Mercury explained. "While he's intelligent and all that, he has a strong temper given that he sees everyone and everything as corrupt. So mostly because of that, there would be no possibility of him ever having a relationship with anyone. He only cares about himself! That's what it is! As for Rouge… Well, I don't think she'd ever fall for someone like him, since I can see her being annoyed with his way of thinking. So to me, it wouldn't work."

"I don't think so, either," said Rachel. "When you put it like that, they remind me of a wilder and slightly more sinister version of that scientist who looked after the assassin that became Korosensei… and that scientist's fiancée. You know who I'm talking about, right? Assassination Classroom? Probably my second or third favorite anime."

Meanwhile, a certain chameleon received those words quite happily.

"Well, I don't know much about this Dr. Finitevus," said Sarah. "All I really know is that he's not really friendly, and he's out to destroy Knuckles, or the whole world, or something. Rouge, being a cunning jewel thief, might not be interested in a guy like this. Also, Rouge… Please don't kill me later… I always thought she looked better with Knuckles than anyone else."

"Yeah, I always thought that, too," Rachel nodded.

…A Shadouge vs. Knuckouge war… Would that be a fun thing for the show?

"I mean, they do flirt a lot," Sarah concluded. "…I don't think this would work well."

"Me neither," said Rachel.

"That doctor is just himself, trying to kill random people for his gain," said Obsidian Prime. "With Rouge being the thief that she is… I think she should stay away."

"So… none of us see this?" said Rachel. "It doesn't look good to me. I have some respect for Rouge. She deserves better than that."

She stood.

"Well, that's that for this week," said Rachel. "Join us next week... when we find ourselves tumbling back into the crack hole."

Some of the audience groaned. She had a following, didn't she?

"Ever imagine Sally and Nicole?" she asked. "We imagine it next week! See y'all then!"

At that, everyone went their separate ways. Rachel's and Vector's were backstage.

Espio, who was on the couch, smiled and said "My boss is a _huge_ fan of the show. I actually get sort of concerned sometimes."

In response, Vector snapped "'Ey, it's not nearly that bad! I watch it every week, so what?!"

At the "What?!", Vector's voice cracked. And it made the ninja and the hostess laugh uncontrollably. Especially Rachel, whose laugh box had a sensitivity to voice cracks.

"'Ey, shaddup!" Vector shouted, blushing a bit. "I ain't that funny!"

"Yes, you are," said Espio, his laughter dying down at last.

"Voice cracks are the best," said Rachel, calming down as well.

"Ah, well…" said Vector, rubbing the nape of his neck. "We gotta go! Imagine us having a bunch of cases waiting when we get back!"

At that, he proudly strode toward the door, with Espio calmly in tow.

"It was a pleasure doin' business with you!" Vector smiled, giving a thumbs-up before walking out.

However, Espio stood there for a few seconds, looking right at Rachel.

"It was pleasant to meet you," he smiled. "…Until we meet again."

"…Y-Yeah," Rachel smiled back, trying to repress a blush. "I hope to see you again." Wait, what the heck was that?!

After chuckling a bit, Espio went off to follow Vector, closing the door behind him.

Hell… What she thought was happening was sort of a relief.

She sat down, putting her head in her hands.

"Okay, here's what I think is happening," she said to herself in what was barely a whisper. "Heart… You've finally realized that crushing on Silver brought me more pain than gain. And this is your way of getting me 'back on my feet?' Well… it's working. Great job."

She sighed, feeling what was pure relief for the first time in ages.

Following that relief really quickly was piqued curiosity, which followed a few of what she knew to be Elektor's giggles coming from his office.

"Hmm," Rachel hummed, getting up and putting her ear up to the door. Nothing. So timidly, she landed a few quiet knocks on the door.

"Come in!" Elektor sang.

So Rachel opened the door, seeing Elektor sitting in his chair and facing her, with his phone in his hand.

"You sound happy," Rachel smiled.

"Ah," Elektor replied. "It's just that Viola sent me a picture of her Chao."

Rachel felt the very moment her face fell like a rock.

"Look at 'im!" Elektor giggled, holding his phone up to reveal the picture of an adorable orange baby Chao. "Isn't he cute?"

Rachel literally could not speak. The Chao was adorable BUT THIS WAS AN OUTRAGE but what if there was something Rachel missed BUT WHAT THE HELL HAD THEY DISCUSSED BEFORE?!

"What… What's wrong?" asked Elektor, looking at her with a lot of concern.

"…I-I…" was all that Rachel could utter as she leaned on Elektor's counter.

"…They're questioning her because people think she beat you up a couple of weeks ago," Elektor sighed. "But it was just some mugger, right? You-"

"It was her," Rachel sighed, taking a step backward toward the door. "…But even if it wasn't-"

"No," said Elektor, standing from his chair. "She doesn't even _know_ you!"

Rachel let out an unexpected gasp of fear. She'd never heard Elektor hold such rage in his voice.

He was… _angry at her._

"You know, I knew from the very start that you wouldn't believe me," Rachel replied, her voice both raging and starting to shake. "So I never brought it up."

"I know you hate her," Elektor snapped.

"Listen," shook Rachel. "I have no idea… She… I have no idea how… why she would…"

"She couldn't have attacked you," said Elektor. "She's changed, Rachel! She's not who she was before!"

"Look, my irritation has nothing to do with the fact that she attacked me-"

"Which she DIDN'T!"

"ANYWAY… This might just line up with what I believe, but she _cheated_ on you, Elektor! That's absolutely unforgivable!"

"It was the only way she could think of that she could get a point across to me!"

At that, Rachel felt something tighten in her throat, then rise to both her nose and eyes.

"I can't believe you," Elektor growled.

"You know…" Rachel shuddered.

At that, Elektor's face immediately went from rage to horror.

Taking a shaky hold on the door handle, Rachel sobbed "I can't really believe you, either."

So much for "friend," huh? Really said something that someone who broke his heart in his face could be trusted better…

When Rachel thought about it that way, a sob escaped her lips, and she began to plan out the rest of her career without any communication with that bumbling producer. The guy who refused to quit lining _himself_ up with disaster. _Himself,_ alright? If he dreamed of getting himself into this, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

And the only thing that really upset her about it was just how long their friendship had climbed to fall so far.

Meanwhile, with the close of the door that wanted so badly to be a slam, Elektor saw part of his world burning to a crisp.

He tried to take quick steps to follow her, saying "Rachel!"

But somehow, the anger almost physically pushed him back toward his chair. And just like that, the desire to scream his lungs out and the desire to pull her back into his arms created a World War III hopeful.

He emitted a punch to the wall and a shaky "Damnit…"

Meanwhile, grabbing a tissue from the table on her way out, Rachel was soon on the way to her car.

And something in her commanded her leg to kick the beer bottle she came across as hard as possible. Hearing it roll so far away was a bit satisfying.

However, it piqued the alarm in a certain couple of reptiles, who had decided to walk to the nearby McDonald's instead of heading home right away. Vector jumped nearly a foot, while Espio took a defensive stance.

When they heard nothing but a car starting within the next minute, they decided to keep walking.

However, a car soon drove by them… and still being on high alert, Espio tried to get a sight of who was in it.

"Hey, is that Rachel?" asked Vector, who'd done the same thing.

It sure was… but to Espio, something didn't seem right.

* * *

 **Question for the reader: An episode dedicated to Shadow X Rouge vs. Knuckles X Rouge... vs. someone else X Rouge… What do you think?**


	57. Episode 56 (Sally x Nicole)

**Props: My thanks this week go to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Hedgehogwriter07, and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. It means so, so much to me, guys!**

 **Reason for lateness: Distractions. Thanks so much for putting up with me!**

* * *

It was already the moment before she'd step onstage… and Rachel was doing pretty good.

It was all like a trapeze act that nobody else could see. Every moment seem to haunt her, especially those from the week before. It seemed like he'd reach out and claw her by the shoulders at any moment.

But no. She was about to walk onstage, and Elektor's lemon eyes had not made a single flash in the room yet. Good… She could do with never seeing the guy again.

…Who knew if he was even here?

She was literally about to take the first step toward the curtain, though, when she heard the door open and close, and a gruff voice say her name.

A ball of fear leapt up in her throat… but went back down when she saw that it was Shadow. And he was holding… Wait, what was he doing here with THAT?!

"What are you doing here with that?" Rachel whispered.

She was referring to a purple Chaos Emerald that sat in Shadow's hands.

"I have to hide it," Shadow whispered back. "With someone who would seem very unlikely to look for one."

"Eggman looms around this place all the time!" Rachel argued. "…But listen, I gotta go. The cameras are probably on already."

And so, without looking back… knowing she would have that weight on her shoulders for the entire episode, she walked out to the stage and had to put a smile on her face… not even paying attention to the amazed stares coming from the show's guests.

Luckily, as if they were both on-sync, the gray hedgehog behind the closest camera pointed to her right when she was ready.

"Yo," said Rachel. "There's some exciting things ahead. Like learning! But hey, you made it here alive, so let's reward you for that! With love talk! Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

At that, the audience gave its appreciative applause.

"This week, we've got an Acorn and an AI on the block," said Rachel. "Sally and Nicole, everyone. I don't see anything romantic coming out of it, but I do understand that those two have a great friendship and partnership. Any romance… I immediately think of one of those twisted lemon fanfics… where for instance, maybe Sally gets a little… Ah, hell, I'll stop there. Let's get our guests out here. Please, welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Sarah, and Void!"

The audience applauded as the three eager guests made their ways out to their seats.

"So…" said Rachel, taking her own seat. "Sally and Nicole… A royal blessing or a royal mess?"

"I only see them as friends," said Thorn. "Just friends. Sisters, even… though not more than that. It just doesn't exactly sit right with me, the thought of it…"

"Alright," Rachel nodded.

"Sally and Nicole do seem to have a pretty close relationship," Sarah explained. "Though I'm going off of what I was told by Sonic and Tails. I've never truly met them. But I'd say that a sister relationship is as far as it would go. I don't think these two would have romantic feelings for one another."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Rachel responded.

"Okay, seriously," said Void. "I've got nothing against homosexual couples, but this is really just a fantasy. I mean… Sally was Sonic's girlfriend for so long. Nobody lives in that kind of denial. Now, Nicole isn't exactly confiding, so I've no clue about her 'orientations.' She's an AI, so likely, no relationships have occurred to her at all no matter how cute she is. Wait… did I just say that on TV?"

Rachel's eyebrow rose in a fluid motion. The screw finally reached the magnet like she thought it never would.

"Ah, crap…" Void grumbled, putting his head in his hand.

"Uh huh," Rachel said with a smile. "So overall… we don't see it?"

"Nope," said Thorn.

"I think that's our general consensus, then," Rachel announced, standing up. "That's all we've got for this week. Join us next time… when we do something a little different."

A moment of uneasy silence.

"I, and many others, most likely, have a question," she explained. "The games are holding a big cardboard heart around Knuckles and Rouge. But many argue that Shadow and Rouge see something within each other's defiant natures as well. And it doesn't even stop with Knuckles and Shadow. At least among the population who watches the show… Thank you all… I say we settle the score. And yeah, I have a side as well. Join us next week when we have our Knuxouge vs. Shadouge… vs. anyone else or nobody and Rouge… debate!"

The cameras flipped off as the audience almost seemed to jump with excitement. After that, everyone went their own ways.

Rachel's was backstage, where she immediately paced up to the Chaos-Emerald-wielding Shadow.

"I-It's an honor, really," Rachel tried to get across. "But… it's also a huge lure. I-I'm just afraid someone's going to get hurt."

At that, Shadow's eyes widened for a second. Then, he looked down at his feet and sighed.

"With Eggman… You're right," he said.

He hesitated for a second before, quite suddenly, standing up and thrusting the Emerald into her hands.

Before Shadow could get his next word in, the Emerald emitted a spark. It seemed to course from the bottom before dancing on the top a little bit.

Rachel almost dropped the Emerald in shock, but was soon able to watch it in awe.

Shadow, however, could not stop shifting his gaze from the spark to Rachel and back again. He knew the Emerald did that with him, but… why her, too?

Could that seriously…

His thought was interrupted when the door from Elektor's office opened with a swing, and then a bang.

And there stood Luke, who looked like hell had stricken his temper.

"Why the crap would Elektor just not show up and expect me to just… SHRUG IT OFF AND BE OKAY?!" he screamed.

Rachel was appalled.

"He did that?!" Rachel asked, facing Luke and feeling her own temper starting to shorten.

"Without even so much as a call," Luke nodded, sitting down and starting to slow his breathing at last. "Can you imagine how much pressure that is? Knowing that if you flub up just once, the entire WORLD'S going to see it, document it, and talk about it for ages?"

"Elektor's had practice," said Rachel, sitting down beside him.

And at that, the mental battle began. Elektor had a near-perfect record before this. The only reason he'd stepped out before… and he'd showed up that time, at least… was Viola.

But this week, she had to be cold. He skipped out on his job.

She got her phone out, and as she dialed the number and put it up to her ear, that lump returned in her throat. Last week… the argument… This call was likely not going to be seen well, if answered at all. Well, if he didn't answer it, that earned him a good amount of the cold shoulder. How about that?

…Still…

Shadow could not help but notice how uneasy she was.

After what seemed like a million rings, Elektor's voice finally came through.

…Saying "Rachel, listen," in what sounded like a desperate sob.

Anything that Rachel had felt anger toward had then faded away.

"…Elektor?" she shuddered. "Are you okay?!"

The absolute fear in Rachel's voice was enough to stop Void, Thorn, and Sarah… and everyone else in the backstage area… dead in their tracks.

"…I'm fine," Elektor replied, clearly trying to wipe his tears. "…And I'm sorry."

"Huh?" was all that Rachel could reply with. Sorry was not a great word coming from him.

"I'm sorry for my outburst last week," Elektor responded, clearly ready to lose his composure again. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm so, so sorry… They asked for security camera videos and… yeah… Viola did it. She attacked you. And I cannot forgive her for hurting my best friend."

…Best? After all that?

"But…" was all that Elektor could finish with before he was clearly in a fit of tears again.

"Hey…" Rachel sighed, literally not knowing what to say.

"It's just so hard," Elektor sobbed. "We were rekindling something… a-and…"

"Elektor, I…" Rachel replied, feeling tears well up in her own eyes.

"…You think it's best if I just forget about her, huh?" Elektor sighed, getting a bit of his composure back. "…Yeah… But it'll be really hard."

"I know," Rachel nodded, recounting her own experiences. "But I'm always here for you, Elektor."

"I know, and thank you!" Elektor cried again. "…I know it. You called me to yell at me because I skipped out of work."

"Luke's a mess," Rachel stated with a slightly raised voice. "And yeah, I'm honestly quite disappointed in you."

"I'm really sorry," Elektor shook. "I screwed up, I know. I'll try my absolute best not to let it happen again. And tell Luke that he did a great job."

"Yeah, yeah," said Luke, who could hear Elektor through the silence. "It ain't fun, you jerk!"

"…I'm so sorry," Elektor repeated. "…I just want to be there, but I don't deserve it…"

"Hey," Rachel interrupted. "…You wanna get some dinner or something so that we can talk about it?"

"I'd like that," said Elektor. "The café downtown?"

"That sounds good," Rachel nodded. "As soon as possible?"

"I'll meet you down there," Elektor replied, calm now.

"See ya, buddy," said Rachel.

"I'll see you," sighed Elektor.

As soon as Rachel hung up, she was a bit thrown off to find everyone staring at her.

"I just hope this doesn't sprout any media waves," she sighed, getting up.

"Our lips are sealed," Sarah nodded with a serious look of assurance.

"Hang on!" Shadow snapped, standing up as well. "What should I do with this?"

Right. The Emerald.

"You know better than I do," Rachel replied, shaking her head and walking out.

Said meetup at the café ended up being a short one, as before Elektor could even finish explaining half of the situation, he looked down at his phone to find that he was being called home.

No matter what was going through her head about the guy, though, one moment would always stick with her: that brief moment where before she could leave, Elektor pulled her close to him and held her there for nearly a minute, his face practically buried in her shoulder.

He also seemed to be whispering things… one which she could make out as "Better than them both…"


	58. Episode 57 (Who Should Get Rouge's Love)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Hedgehogwriter07, Tekina Fiction, and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. And Tekina Fiction… I'm taking the first part of your review and altering it a bit. I hope you can forgive me. Actually, I hope you can all forgive me… because I have a lot of fluff planned for this week.**

* * *

It was barely 5 in the evening. But something still made Rachel come out to the studio. When she was just sitting at home, something kept telling her "You need to be there, with that needy soul, for as long as possible."

Rachel walked into the studio that evening, and almost walked straight into Elektor, who was standing right there.

Standing there for what seemed to be no other purpose than to stare her down.

"E-Elektor," Rachel reacted, stumbling back a bit. "Geez, it's… great to see you, buddy. How are you doing?"

"A little better than last week," Elektor sighed. "…Rachel, thank you so much."

"Of course," Rachel smiled. "You've been my friend for 2 years as of last month, haven't you?"

Without uttering a word, though, Elektor merely smiled and walked the one step to snake his arms around her.

"I-It's been so hard," Elektor shook a little bit. "…I'm so glad you're here. How the hell did _you_ do it?"

"You mean… the whole thing with Silver?" asked Rachel.

That was weird. Unlike most people, her heart had kinda kicked itself into gear, and just like that, something new left her more relieved than she had been in years. She considered herself extremely blessed.

"That, exactly," Elektor nodded, which rocked Rachel a little bit.

"I dunno," Rachel sighed. "I-I think I just got lucky."

At that, Elektor stepped back a little bit, but still had his hands on her shoulders.

"So you mean to tell me that you woke up one day, and he was just… gone from your heart?" Elektor started to freak out.

"It's not exactly like that!" Rachel exclaimed, panicked at the sight of brimming tears in Elektor's eyes. "…This is going to sound insane, and if you would, please don't leak it… but I managed to pull it off by developing a crush on someone new."

Elektor's eyes widened, and he gave a slight gasp. He had no idea who this was… but if by all slices of chance, _that_ was true, he was going to be the most relieved man alive.

"Is it really that easy?" he asked.

"It was for me," said Rachel, seeming a little dismal. "I'm not sure if it'll be that easy for just anyone. It takes a bit of hard effort. Just go down that list in your heart that you know you have, and listen to the next name that speaks to you. If it all goes right, your brain won't say a word."

Viola had to be gone… No, not that name, either…

Oh, wait.

Elektor followed the circles that reflected off of her eyes. He then found himself taking a tighter hold of her shoulders and restraining… _something_.

Of course.

But deep down, he'd known it all along.

"Then, use every one of your senses to hold that name down," Rachel continued. "Until she… or he… shows that they don't feel the same, do not lose sight of him or her. Don't ever look away."

And by God, he didn't want to.

"You know you've succeeded when you look back for pure laughs and realize that you're effectively moved on," Rachel concluded.

Since when were words alone able to seduce the heart this much?

"…Yeah," Elektor nodded. "You're right."

Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly happy, he also went through the side effect of feeling a bit playful. He didn't necessarily realize this until he realized he'd just poked her cheek.

"Just get back out there, on the dating scene" Rachel giggled, poking his nose. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

And finally, for the first time that night, he disagreed. No chick out there could ever have that beautiful laugh.

…No other date could be _you_ , he thought.

For just a split second, Rachel wondered… Had Elektor's hands moved?

And all she picked up was that mischievous complexion before she was soon picked up, about close to 6 feet in the air, and spun around in a 360. She gave a squeak of shock. It wasn't often she was in the air anymore (she'd never flown on any sort of aircraft, as a matter of fact).

There was a slot there, labeled "revenge," whose vacancy would not be tolerated. So as soon as she was on solid ground again, she poked Elektor's stomach, which earned her a valid reaction of surprise and laughter. Soon, she was laughing along as well. They were now just standing there, their laughs harmonizing with each other. At least as Elektor saw it.

Feeling something that seemed like Rachel was trying to pull away a little bit, he finally let go of her.

And then, he grasped onto the hook of fear. Asked a question. Any answer was about to make his emotions run high.

"So, uh…" he said. "If I may ask... who's the lucky guy? The one who got your mind off of Silver?"

Rachel giggled and blushed a bit before answering "I-It's just a teensy crush at this point… but the guy, whose luck I actually think is up for debate… I realize this could line me up with another disaster, but he's another celebrity."

Alright, the world had a few cracks in it… b-but Elektor was the producer of a hit TV show! He was technically famous!

"So? What's his name?" Elektor asked.

"…I can trust you not to blab, right?" Rachel sighed.

"I would never do that," Elektor replied, looking her straight in the eyes.

"…Alright…" Rachel said. "Similar to Silver in some ways, completely different in others… Espio. It's Espio."

Aaaand there went the foundations of Elektor's happiness.

"When Viola attacked me, I wasn't able to make it back to the studio before I passed out," Rachel explained. "And Espio, by chance, ended up being the one to come to my aid."

Then Espio was hailed as a hero. It was all over the news for the two days after the attack.

"And there's a certain level of attachment to be gotten from that, right?" asked Rachel. "Then, I learned a bit more about him… talked with him a few times, and… something just clicked within me, you know? He's that next name on the list for me."

And hopefully the last she'd ever have to move to.

A few hours later, everyone was there, and everything was bustling. Rachel was her usual self, the guests were waiting behind the curtain as usual, and the usual happy audience waited with glee.

Elektor, though, despite being told that what he was up against was _just a teensy crush_... which kept him sane, at least…had gone from living to standing.

The pale hedgehog behind the camera pointed to Rachel, and the show was live.

"I promise, the difference between this and those Earth presidential debates is that you'll come out of here having done something useful with your life," Rachel beamed. "Welcome to a special episode of Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience applauded heartily.

"This night is a whole big debate on who Rouge should be pacing toward on her wedding day," Rachel explained. "Now... guests, if you can hear me, I need you to come out in a different fashion than you normally do. After I introduce you, you are to line up in front of the curtain, side by side, in whatever order works for you. Alright… joining me on this stage tonight… we've got Thorn, Sarah, Echo, and Void!"

It took a minute, but to the tune of the applause, they all emerged from backstage (Void doing so rather sheepishly) and figured out an order to stand in.

"Alright, good job," said Rachel. "Tonight's debate has three major sides: Knuckles and Rouge, Shadow and Rouge, and literally anything else. Okay, those who stand on the side of Knuckles and Rouge, stand where I'm about to stand." After that, she paced a few feet to the west side of the stage. Thorn and Sarah stood on that sector of the stage.

"Those who are for Shadow and Rouge, stand completely opposite of us," said Rachel, pointing her hand to the eastern side of the stage.

But nobody moved.

"I see," Rachel responded.

"Rachel, I have no idea," Echo pointed out. "Is there a sector for that?"

"I am in the same situation," Void added.

"So essentially, we have Knuxouge vs. the undecided," Rachel announced. "That's perfectly fine. First, I'll present my explanation… then we'll hear from Echo, then Thorn, then Void, then Sarah. Sound good to everyone?"

Everyone else onstage nodded.

"Well, I am on the side of Knuxouge," Rachel began. "I just… cannot imagine romance in the slightest when I look at Shadow and Rouge. I look at them as a younger brother and older sister. Like… with Silver and Blaze, they at least share a connection of best friendship that seems like it could mutate into love at any moment, if it hasn't already. I just see Shadow and Rouge as the edgy boy who's begrudgingly letting his older sister follow him on his edgy escapades. With Knuckles and Rouge, it's complimentary to me. Their personalities make it seem like they could have a lot of fun with each other in their lives… both literally and in the sexual way. They just seem to complete each other. And there's my speech. Let's hear from you next, Echo."

"I gotta say something first," Echo said. "…Is it just me, or is it that on this show, we tend to like couples with opposite sexes more than those of the same sex?"

There was a slight stirring in the audience.

"A-And I don't mean to offend anyone when I say this," Echo added. "But I just couldn't help but notice the pattern."

"I don't think it really has anything to do with the concept of homosexuality," Rachel answered. "It's just that… well… most same-sex shippings that we've discussed tend to be improbable for one or both of two reasons. Either they just don't seem like they'd fall in love, just like a boy and a girl might not fit together… or the characters themselves are straight. I get the impression, at least, that most of them are straight."

"Anyway, back to the discussion at hand," said Echo. "I seriously don't know. With Knouge, it seems a mere 'crush.' With arguments. I… really don't know. We'll see."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. "So you're not even sure where to begin, necessarily."

"I vote Knuxouge," Thorn said. "I mean, in my opinion, those two have a greater chance of being together from what I've seen in the comics, games, and shows. As for Shadouge… I mean, I like that, too. I think they're compatible, but just as good friends and/or teammates more often than not."

"Soooo...The great, fantastic and absurdly awkward contest for Rouges attention," Void said. "I guess I'll be the one calling attention to the fact that Knuckles is already spoken for. At, like, the basest level of instinct, Echidnas are amazing for the fact that they can just KNOW when they found their soulmate. It just clicks for them. Knuckles has already had that click with his current girlfriend Julie-sue. He also made it quite clear Rouge is JUST a friend, soooo… Shadow is too dutiful to let anybody get in the way of protecting the world from… well… I guess that would be me he's protecting it from. Rouge is...well, Rouge is Rouge. I wouldn't trust her with a wallet, let alone somebody's heart... so yeah, that's me... your friendly Black Arms dream crusher."

"Understandable," Rachel nodded.

"As I've likely said last week, I go with Knuckles and Rouge," said Sarah. "Going off of what I've seen, they do seem to flirt a lot and not realize it… or they flirt intentionally. With Shadow and Rouge… I can only see them as really close friends. Yeah, they've helped each other out… but I can't see them having romantic feelings for one another."

"So," said Rachel. "We've learned tonight that nobody… at least none of us… heavily condones Shadouge as a couple. Some are unsure, and yeah… Shadouge shippers are out there somewhere. Just not here."

"But _our_ general consensus seems to be on the side of Knuxouge," said Sarah.

"Yeah," Rachel nodded, turning toward the audience. "That's unfortunately all we have for tonight. This was interesting, guys! Thanks for coming out!"

"Of course!" said Sarah.

"Next week…" said Rachel. "...Huh. Apparently, in someone's heart, Scourge and Zonic have some chemistry. Do they really? We find out next week. See you then!"

Everyone went their separate ways. Rachel's and Echo's were backstage.

"So, Rachel," said Echo. "I heard that the show was postponed a day out recently. Why was that?"

Rachel didn't quite understand it herself.

"…Eggman," said Rachel.

That was all it took for Echo to clench her fists and have flames of rage in her eyes.

"He… pops up around here sometimes," said Rachel. "We're all usually alerted and told to stay away from the area. He ignited a bomb near here once."

At that, Rachel finally got the full picture of Echo's rage and took a step back.

And Echo suddenly said "I gotta go," and stormed out of the building. Rachel wanted so badly to run after her… to not be the cause of her getting hurt… but somewhere, she knew that it was just no use.

* * *

 ***Meanwhile, on a train heading past Emerald Coast***

Stars twinkled outside, like little sky crystals. The train was essentially empty.

In fact, a tall crocodile, a mysterious chameleon, and a curious bee were the only inhabitants of its second car.

Vector, Espio, and Charmy were their names. They were heading home on this train from an utterly draining mission. They'd gotten a client from what felt to be across the world, and they ended up investigating the kidnapping of a young girl by a big-time businessman. They ended up getting the facts through disguise and espionage. They still remembered, really clearly, the moment that they saw the man move incriminating pictures from his bag to his filing cabinet. It was a challenge to restrain from jumping out and putting handcuffs on the guy. Nevertheless, in the end, they all got to watch as the guy was locked up in the name of justice.

And as such, Vector and Espio were in suits and fedoras. Vector's outfit was navy blue, and Espio's was a medium gray.

And if it weren't for the train's demanding rhythm, they'd all have passed out of utter exhaustion.

Looking through the window, one could observe as coincidentally, each pair of eyes was glued to something that was in their hands.

For Charmy, it was a Nintendo DS. Little Labradors and Schnauzers ran around in a little room under the watch of the innocent Charmy Bee… or as he saw it, the magnificent Charmy Bee, a better dog trainer than any of those others could dream to be. Now, just to win that Beginner's Class agility trial…

Vector's eyes were glued to his phone, where he just so happened to be watching that night's episode of Thoughts of the Unknown. It was around the part where Rachel was positioning the guests into proper places on the stage at this point.

For Espio, though, it was something most would consider a little healthier: a book. A book of about small-to-medium-novel size, with a bold orange cover featuring a photo of a beachside. The title appeared to be "A Window Merely Fogged." He appeared to be near the end of it.

"Said sun that once beat down on my neck is now slowly hiding itself under the lake, as if the moon was some high school bully," read the page he was on. "Well, in that sense… maybe the sun and the moon both fear each other, but don't quite know that they are feared as well? Sun brings life to plants, yet death to vampires. Moon brings life to werewolves, yet death to the happiness in playful children. So much thinking. It truly is the same beautiful painting that I remember."

Espio then looked up and tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening on the screen of Vector's phone. Rachel and others, standing and talking… a show about matters that seemed so _trivial_ …

One alliance had reduced her.

And Espio feared that he was the only living being alive to be one page away from finishing Rachel the Fox's first novel for the second time. He felt to be the only one who was a fan of who she truly was. A wordsmith. An artist. Not just some skirted girl spreading gossip on the bread that was those who would listen.

She'd gotten her start to fame as an author, not a talk show hostess. And Espio was almost a little discouraged to feel that he was the only one who knew that.

…But what did he know?

Hopefully, he'd know more… because he'd decided it, right there with the rhythm of the train: When the team had a free night, he was going to invite her out to dinner. To meet her as a true fan of her work.

* * *

 **Question for the reader: When you're writing fanfiction, do you listen to anything? I have a playlist on Spotify specifically for fanfic-writing time, comprised of such artists as Yiruma, C418, Sean Beeson, Dave Koz… Basically, when I'm writing, I go instrumental.**

 **Author's note: Oh, and after this chapter goes up, I'm labeling each chapter with what shipping is being discussed within it. That'll make it easier for all of us, trust me.**

 **Author's casual discussion: Oh, I have Animal Crossing: New Leaf now! I love it!**


	59. Episode 58 (Scourge x Zonic)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Reaver17, and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. You guys mean everything, remember!**

 **Reason for lateness: I'm sick, and I had to sleep. This sucks.**

* * *

"Alright," Rachel sighed. "So tonight, we're going to put one criminal and one cop together and see how hard it explodes! Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave its usual hearty applause. Rachel swore, every week almost seemed to get better.

"So this week, it's almost like one of those pornos gone horrible wrong because it got personal," she continued. "Scourge and Zonic, everyone. I mean, I've no clue who Zonic is, but from what I've heard… this is impossible. Their morals are on polar opposite sides of the scale. But yeah, there's the 'opposites attract' theory. Maybe if something seriously screwy happened, but…"

She sniffed.

"Just NO," she concluded. "This isn't going to work. But does it work in the eyes of our guests? Well… Thorn, Void, and Sarah, get out here!"

The three mentioned guests stepped out from behind the curtains and met the enthused applause of the audience as they found their seats.

"Hey, guys," said Rachel, finding her own seat. "Someone needs to buy me some sort of immune system pill, because I've only just completed the first week of school and my nose already feels like there's acid in it. Anyway, what do you guys think?"

"No," Thorn responded. "I really don't believe this would work out well at all. For one, Scourge would hate Zonic for being a Zone Cop. Zonic would hate Scourge for being a criminal. This happening is… it would happen under specific circumstances, in my opinion."

"Makes sense," Rachel nodded. "That's what I really thought. A cop and a criminal…"

"I'm pretty sure Zonic's a robot," Void answered. "If he's not, then he might as well be. He hunts down threats to the continued function and existence of the Zones. He lives for justice. He does his job and he does it well. It's all he cares about, all he thinks about, and all he needs. Meanwhile, 'King' Snot is a murderous bully who's obsessed with proving he isn't just Sonic's twin from another world and will rip apart his own family and 'friends' to do it."

At that, he let out this menacing growl that shook the bones of everyone there.

"And he calls himself a king," Void grumbled. "If I ever meet him, I'll…"

He seemed to realize exactly what he was doing and took a deep breath, then smiled nervously.

"Sorry, that was… I don't like him very much. I've seen some weird ships, but this one… This one is just stupid."

"Seems like it," Rachel nodded.

"A cop and a wanted criminal throughout the Zones," said Sarah. "Yeaaaaah, no. I don't believe this would work at all. I mean, seriously! In what dimension do you see a mass-criminal fall in love with a no-zone cop?"

"An alternate universe," Rachel shrugged. "Or a porno."

At that, she stood.

"Well, that's it for this week," she said. "Join us next Friday… when we address Sonic's mother and someone else I've absolutely never heard of. Sleet and Aleena, everyone. See you all then!"

And almost everyone went their own separate ways. However, Thorn and Void remained onstage as a result of a question from Thorn.

"So if any of the members of the Smash Brothers were to be the president, who'd make the worst one?" she asked.

"…Olimar, I'd say," said Void. "He enslaved the Pikmin. He'd enslave us, too."

"I personally think Dr. Mario would make the worst one," said Thorn. "Outbreak? All Dr. Mario would do is increase the production of those pills of his and have the police chucking them at everybody."

"…But what about Peach?" said Void. "She's already the ruler of a kingdom, and she gets kidnapped constantly. Imagine actual terrorist groups wanting to come after her."

"Yeah, but… Ganon," Thorn replied. "'Nuff said there."

And that wasn't even the end of it. At this point, though, most of the audience was gone.

Rachel, however, was the one to answer the door when she heard three knocks that were planted upon it. She had the pictures in her mind of Elektor carrying something heavy, or Luke, or _maybe_ the Chaotix?

She wasn't exactly expecting to see Silver standing there.

"Hi!" she instinctively replied with.

"Hey there!" Silver smiled, walking in.

Rachel closed the door behind him, therefore barely having any time to react before Silver went in for a hug.

"Hold on," said Rachel, putting her hands up to stop him. "As much as I love hugs, I'm sick with something. It's likely in your best interest that you stay a certain distance from me."

Silver supposed that was sort of evident in her voice.

For a split second… _just_ a split second, though… that was no obstacle to him.

But then, his mind's eye got a flashback to his schedule for the week. Interviews galore. The logical thing to do would be to take some precaution, huh? That stunk.

"Aw," he pouted. "Alright."

They sat down on the nearest couch.

"So…" said Silver. "How have you been?"

"…I'd be required to delve into some medical details if you want the whole story," Rachel sighed. "And I'm honestly tired of doing that to innocent people. But I'm going to my cousin's wedding next month!"

"Oh, that's cool!" Silver replied, turning toward Rachel. "The last wedding I remember going to was between one of our producers and her husband. And I was borderline bawling."

"Oh, really?" Rachel laughed.

"It came out of nowhere," Silver laughed back. "I thought I'd be fine! Then out of nowhere, the emotions just took over!"

"I'm not that much of a crier," Rachel shrugged. "But if someone was challenged to make me cry happy tears, weddings and marriage proposals would be their best weapons."

"Why's that?" asked Silver, unknowingly leaning a little closer to her.

"Because I'm a love junkie," said Rachel, leaning back on the couch and looking up at the ceiling.

Talking about this always made parts of the world around her just fade away so that only she and the person she was droning to really existed.

Silver noticed a spacey sort of look in her eyes. How was that possible?

"It's two people officially vowing that their love for each other is eternal," Rachel explained in an airy voice. "It's two people basically saying 'I'll love you even after my final breath.' It's beautiful. It's my ultimate goal in life, and it's absolutely beautiful."

This was something she was passionate about, and she was expressing it with full confidence.

And Silver thought that was absolutely enchanting. The way she spoke.

Did he even realize how he was staring at her?

"Yeah," he agreed, more dreamily than he had intended. "Beautiful."

And so was this. This was rather pretty, too.


	60. Episode 59 (Sleet x Aleena)

**Props: Thanks this week to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Reaver17, and TekinaFiction for everything. Seriously, I… I don't think I could ever fully show all the appreciation I have for you guys for sticking with me.**

* * *

"Any historians in the audience?" was the first thing Rachel said as the cameras flipped on that night.

And to her shock, one moose in one of the back rows actually raised his hand. In response, everyone gave a little bit of applause.

"Say, if you know…" she continued. "How long in history has shipping been a concept?"

"…I could tell you about maritime shipping," the moose shrugged. "But not what I'm here to see."

"Ah, well," Rachel shrugged back. "Thank you for speaking up anyway! Welcome, everyone, to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

At this, the audience gave its usual hearty applause.

"So, as tends to be the case, I know NOTHING about half of this pair!" she said. "Sleet and Aleena, everyone. You know? I have no opinion tonight, because Sleet's the one whose name I'd never associated with anything but a weather condition before last week. So hopefully, my guests can knock some sense into me. Please give a warm "welcome back" to Thorn, Void, and Echo!"

The three guests paraded from backstage and to their seats… but the difference was that Thorn and Void seemed to be just as she'd expected them.

Yes, Echo was displaying a few eye-catching differences. She had a more mature look on her face. She had several stains on her clothes, which half of Rachel argued was blood, while half argued that it wasn't. And right before Echo sat down… did her arm make an odd twitch for a moment?

"Alright, welcome!" Rachel beamed, sitting down at her own seat. "So… these two. I think Sonic Underground was actually my first ever exposure to Sonic, now that I think about it. I think it was a commercial on one of the DVDs of the Super Mario Bros Super Show or something along those lines. So I kinda know Aleena… keyword _kinda_ … but I've never heard of this Sleet guy."

"No," Thorn began. "For the love of Cheezits, no. It's not compatible. Sleet is a sly and greedy wolf. He kinda reminds me of Nack, even. In it for the money. And… I just dislike him very strongly."

"So you don't hate him," Rachel joked. "You just dislike him very strongly."

The audience gave a slight chuckle to this. Rachel had always wondered if she would ever make it as someone like that Jimmy Fallon guy from Earth.

"As for Aleena," Thorn continued. "She is a very sweet and loving mother, to the point of giving up her crown and title to make sure her children were safe. I don't see them being put together."

A quick moment of silence followed that was soon broken by a wheeze of laughter. Everyone else looked over to see that Void had completely lost his crap. He looked as if his lungs could've popped at any second, he was laughing so hard.

"AH HA," he laughed, proceeding to fall out of his chair. "HA HA HA HA HAA! Oh, man…" He gasped. "Oh, jeez…" He gasped again. "That slimeball dating Queen Hedgehog?"

Rachel sure had a knack for finding Void's enemies, huh?

"Thorn compared him to Nack, but at least Nack is a cool side villain," Void continued, getting ahold of himself and returning onto his seat. "But Sleet?! That wolf couldn't catch a date if it was a Frisbee, and someone paired him with HER!? The single person who taught her son to be an absolute hero of the world? I can't even take this seriously, let alone judge it. And I refuse to believe in the 'opposites attract' theory. That's only valid when both parties are looking for someone."

Rachel personally disagreed with that last part, but she shrugged it off and carried on.

"Alright," she said. "So far… this sucks."

"I've never known of either of their existences," Echo stated… and I mean stated, plainly. "You did state that Aleena is Sonic's mother, however. Makes me question my heredity… Very, very, very, very strange…"

At that, she seemed to space out, and as soon as that happened, she did what was unquestionably a twitch.

And it put a wrench in Rachel's gut. What, exactly, had Eggman _done_ to the poor soul?

"Oh, and Sleet?" she continued. "Who is that? If neither of them know each other, as I don't know them, I have a feeling that this is another of the imaginaries. Fantasy. Not real."

"…Alright," Rachel nodded. "So… it's not going to work."

"In a nutshell," Thorn nodded.

Rachel stood and announced "Well, that's all we have for this week! Join us next time… when we talk about two companions I first saw in Mario and Sonic at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Adventure Tours, to be exact… and what I initially thought about Big actually wasn't too far off. Big and Amy, everyone! See you all then!"

As everyone went their separate ways, Rachel stopped Thorn before she could go backstage.

"Hey, Thorn," Rachel sighed. "This is going to sound extremely stupid… but what if, for a huge milestone or something, we had a conversation about how we would go with some of the Sonic cast? Like a Mercury and Shadow episode, or a Void and Nicole episode."

"I dunno," Thorn shrugged. "Not too sure the audience would be so big on that."

"Oh, no, it wouldn't be an actual episode," Rachel clarified. "It could be like one, though, except it's our own private convo backstage or something."

"Huh," Thorn nodded. "Sounds a bit interesting."

At that, they went backstage.

So at the time, Elektor was unpacking a new headset from a package that had come. He looked super excited, like Christmas wasn't 3 months away, and was more like tomorrow.

As soon as he looked to the side and laid eyes on Rachel, though…

He knew his heart was going to do the preliminary racing and beating of the warmer, more comforting blood. That was natural whenever he saw her and her beautiful soul.

But that, mixed with his excitement from the new headset, made a concoction of playfulness. So… how would the blue-eyed buddy look if she was confused?

So he jumped back as if he was just punched in the stomach by a ghost, dropping his new arrival for a more realistic effect.

After that, he pretended to receive an uppercut. Oh, trust me, Elektor knew what he was doing. Would anyone happen to remember what happened to Patrick outside of the Salty Spitoon?

He then took a glance at Rachel, whose complexion had not changed… except for a slight upturning in her mouth. She was amused, but also likely wondered what this dumbass was doing.

Continuing to reenact the scene, Elektor looked at her fearfully, backed away and held up his hands. Rachel was the SpongeBob of this scene.

"No, please wait," he begged.

Then, he pretended to be socked in the stomach again. Then in the face.

And it was around this point that this little charade brought a certain flashback to Rachel. This caused her to give one single laugh.

So if she was correct, Elektor's "invisible attacker" was about to alternate from the right to the left side of his face to punch, about 7 times.

And that's what happened. And Rachel gave a solidly hearty chuckle.

SpongeBob _was_ the first 10 years of her life.

Elektor then pretended to be socked on the top of his head. Then, he was "hit" down to the ground. Then, he alternated between being slammed face-first into the ground and back-first into the wall about ten times.

Then, he got up, looking legitimately dazed. His eyes were half-closed, and he was holding his head.

And Rachel's face fell like a weight.

"Elektor, dude," she worried, watching him stumble. "A-Are you okay?!"

At this, Elektor dropped the act, getting scared at the sight of her concern. This fear, however, was taken over once again by the playfulness.

"I'm fine, ya silly!" he laughed.

To add to this, he petted the top of her head, which made her giggle. Said giggle set off a chain reaction of fireworks in his heart.

He'd made her smile.

His night was so made that later, he was halfway to his car before he remembered he'd just dropped his new headset on the floor and left it there.


	61. Episode 60 (Big x Amy)

**Props: Thanks this week go out to Reaver17, Hedgehogwriter07, and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for the OCs and opinions. This is all thanks to you!**

 **Reason for lateness: I was in NO condition to write a story last night. That day, I had to spend two hours writing an entire research paper from scratch, and I just… I needed rest, man. The fuel within my internal writer had run dry hours before. My heart wouldn't have been in it, which would've especially been bad considering the fluff this week has in store.**

* * *

" _Hey, Elektor… why are we putting the show off? I was just about to walk out the door when I had the gut instinct to check our social media, and_ apparently _, the show's off until tomorrow."_

" _I can't explain, Rachel. If you know… I could_ not _bear to think of what could happen to you!"_

" _Huh?! Give me a hint, then! Someone after you?"_

"… _Yeah."_

" _Then shouldn't I call the police or something?"_

" _That would solve nothing. These men… well… they're practically police in their own right."_

"… _What the hell did you_ do _, Elektor?"_

But last night, after that last sentence that Rachel had said while shaking, Elektor had hung up.

And so, she walked into the studio this beautiful sunless morning with a sort of rage in her heart. She was going to find that hedgehog, and when she did…

"Oh!" came the voice from behind her. "Hey, Rachel! You're bright-eyed and bushy tailed."

"Thanks!" Rachel responded.

She looked back at her tail.

"And, uh… thanks."

Elektor then started to walk away, which is when the rage finally made contact with her mind again.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she snapped.

In her sudden burst, she leapt to grab Elektor's right hand with both of hers. This caused Elektor to give a grunt of shock, and partly of fear. He then stared back at her, pretty sure his heart was about to break his ribs.

He knew what this was about.

"You seemed rather… dare I say, scared last night," she insisted.

"Listen," Elektor snapped, trying only once to get his hand out of her grasp. "I said you can't know. If they know that you know, they could come after you!"

"Well… I already know that some guys are after you," Rachel sighed. "I know that much."

"I'm sorry," Elektor stated, turning around and looking straight at her. "I've gotta deny you the satisfaction just this once. For your own safety. If they find you asking me about it, you're dead."

The way he said "dead" made Rachel's blood go cold. It left her with nothing to say. It left her frozen to her spot, therefore allowing Elektor to remove his hand.

"You understand now?" Elektor sighed.

It'd been quite a while since Rachel had felt this close to crying. It felt to be just under the skin in her face.

"…I do," she nodded, her voice clearly shaking. "I understand."

Elektor hadn't seen her like this in so long. Not since she was still beating herself up over Silver…

It broke his heart. So it drove him to bundle her up in his arms, to which she replied with the tightest hug he thought she'd ever given him.

"…L-Look out for yourself…" she said in what was clearly a sob.

"I'm not looking to get killed, Rachel," Elektor sighed, rubbing her back. "Don't cry. Please… don't cry…"

Hearing this plea come from him, getting the flashbacks to when she'd said that exact same thing to him once (when he was beating himself up over Viola, in fact), she tried to get ahold of herself.

It took a few tries, but it worked pretty quickly. "He'll be fine," she told herself. "He must have been falsely convicted of something. He'll… be fine…"

"…Okay…" she sighed, reluctantly tearing herself away from him and wiping her face. "…Sorry I got some of my bodily gunk all over your coat, most likely." In response to this, Elektor looked down at his coat.

"Nah, just a few tears," he assured her.

The tables were flipped now. She was always the repair to _his_ heart, and he was always the mess. How did she fix it when she was in the shoes that he wore now?...

She was happy and optimistic, that was it.

He gave her a few playful pats on the head, ruffling her hair with the last one.

"You're so strong…" he marveled, without really thinking.

"…I gotta be," Rachel shrugged in response, thankfully seeming to get her hope back. "Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here."

He was about to open his mouth to express his shock, but he remembered. She'd been through fresh hell for 4 months now. What she said… he understood completely.

After all that, the show was still about an hour away. So an hour later was when everything was bustling.

The hedgehog behind the camera pointed to Rachel, and as if nothing had happened, she was ready to go.

"I think I want to start the tradition of opening each episode off with something funny," she beamed. "Either a joke or a story. What do you all think?"

Oh, did the audience seem to like that.

"Great!" she smiled. "So… this one comes from the 4th of July. I was out at a summer cottage with my family, right? It was just me, my mother, my niece's mother, and her boyfriend. I was the youngest one there, for once. So my mother brought a bunch of sparklers because there weren't many people launching fireworks that year. So she lights one up… and nothing happens. Nothing sparkled, but we noticed a rather nice smell coming from it."

Some of the audience was already laughing.

"Turns out it was incense," Rachel concluded. "My mom had picked up a few things of incense along the way."

And the last of the unsuspecting audience was launched into a fit of laughter.

"Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed, feeling more confident than ever.

In response, the audience gave an applause that Rachel thought could break records.

"So this week," she said. "We're addressing the shipping of a frog lover and a hog lover… huh, that could've sounded better… Big and Amy. Aside from Sonic, Big was the first friend I found out that Amy had. I met that glutton through Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games's Adventure Tours mode. I see this as more of a 'pet and owner' relationship. I say this one could be PUSC, or Possible Under Specific Circumstances. Like, if Amy had just given up on Sonic or anyone else… and Big was even slightly competent."

Some of the audience, and Elektor from backstage, snickered.

"If you can't tell, I'm a HUGE Big the Cat fan," Rachel said in her best bit of sarcasm yet. "Let's get our guests out here to prod at that ball of lard's ego even more. Fill it or pop it, they'll choose! Void, Sarah, and Thorn, get out here!"

The audience applauded as the three familiar faces made their ways to their seats.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel smiled as she found her own seat. "So… the OTHER purple cat and the pink hedgehog." She turned to Void. "Worth pet names or not?"

"I'd ship that," Void responded. "An innocent, strong, friendly guy like Big and a cheerful, girly girl who just wants love and attention from a sweet guy. If they could both just SHIFT their attention off of their obsessions… Froggy and Sonic… and onto EACH OTHER, then I think it could definitely work."

"Hey!" came a female voice from the back of the crowd. "Some dream-crusher you are!"

Void raised his hands defensively and said "Calm down, everyone, I'm sure I'll be back to crushing dreams next episode."

"Alright," Rachel laughed. "So you actually see it! Huh… I mean, they have a bond. That's the start of every love. So… Sarah! What do you think?"

"Before I begin with that, Rachel," Sarah responded, looking directly at Rachel. "I feel really bad for not being here last episode. Homework stacks, and-"

"Oh, me too, sister," Rachel nodded. "…I swear, I've never had as much homework at one time in my entire life as I've had this week. Three study guides, a lab, and an _entire damn research paper_. And I've only been in school for three weeks. ALL from my college classes."

"Good to know we can relate," Sarah smiled. "Anyway, Big and Amy? I don't really sail with this ship. I mean, Big can be fun to hang around, and Amy is like a sister to me, so I know her very well…"

This was the moment that it clicked with Rachel that this wasn't so much of a civilian show anymore.

"But I just can't see these two together," Sarah concluded.

"So it's not so much of a strong hatred, as an 'I just don't see it' thing," Rachel thought aloud. "Interesting. Thorn, what are your thoughts?"

"Just how my friend would say, that's dead," Thorn responded. "I just… no. Big… He's gentle and friendly, but rather dim. Amy… She's friendly as well. Bright and protective, to… creepy levels… but in my opinion, this match was NOT made in Heaven."

"Uh huh," Rachel nodded.

She stood.

"So we've got two no's and a yes," Rachel commented. "…And it seems that we have responses that are literally all over the scale! That's interesting! So, next week..."

Once she remembered the topic for next week, she doubled over in laughter for a few seconds.

"Okay…" she breathed, recomposing herself. "…Ever think of an alien and a criminal as one beating heart? Black Doom and Scourge, everyone. I am so, so sorry. I… guess I'll see you all then!"

As the cameras flipped off and the audience started to flood out, Rachel could barely get backstage before she almost ran face-first into a familiar gold chain. In fact, she saw its gold and stumbled back to stop herself.

Looking up, she could see the awkwardly smiling face of the chain's proud owner, Vector, who'd stepped back for the same purpose.

He chuckled before saying "Sorry. I didn't think you were gonna come outta there so fast."

Once Rachel looked around at the rest of the room again, she saw that Charmy had flown so that he was hovering beside Vector, and Espio was seated on the couch watching this little scene go down.

"That wasn't very gentleman-like of you, Vector," Charmy teased Vector.

Vector repeated what Charmy had said in a mocking series of squeaks before shooting back "I don't see you offerin' to take anyone out to lunch!"

And they continued to bicker, but the rest of it was kind of a blur.

Rachel's heart leapt a little bit. Not only had she consumed nothing but water all day… but these three…

"I'd… like to apologize about those two," Espio sighed.

And suddenly, the rest of the world was fading so that nothing but that chameleon existed in Rachel's mind's eye.

"I-It's okay," she said, laughing a little bit.

At first, she had giggled a little bit at the banter between the crocodile and the bee… but now, it ate away at her already-short fuse.

"Vector! Charmy!" Espio snapped, standing up. "If you would please stop that…"

The two aforementioned guys, and Rachel, looked at Espio in shock. It wasn't very often that he got like that. With Rachel, until now, he'd NEVER gotten like that.

"…Er… sorry…" Vector piped up, rubbing his right wrist with his left hand. "…Rachel, we wanna do something to thank you for all the business you've gotten us."

"Heh, it's alright," Rachel blushed a bit. "No prob, really."

"But we get calls every other day now!" Vector retaliated. "…Not that all of them end up paying us, but… we wanna treat you, that producer guy, and the guests to some lunch."

All of a sudden, a female voice piped up "Did I hear 'guests' and 'lunch' in the same sentence?"

That turned out to be Thorn, who was being followed by Sarah and Void in lurking by one of the couches, staring hopefully.

A male voice said "Aww, well, that's so nice of you!" That turned out to be Elektor, who was just about to walk into his office.

"Ah, you guys deserve it!" Vector said, walking up to Elektor and flinging an arm around his shoulders. "You're our pals now!"

About an hour after that, they ended up at the McDonalds near the studio. The Chaotix Detective Agency now had increased funds, but wasn't rolling in them. The place was rather large, though… and busy. Most of the crowd, though, appeared to be those licking an ice cream cone for the sake of using the place's wi-fi.

Speaking of which, thoughts of the homework assignment that was due in a bit for Rachel's college biology class were trying to push their way through her thoughts of the Chaotix… like little things she wondered about the ninja.

She did have her laptop in her bag… but that would be rude, wouldn't it?

After a bit, she wasn't so sure anymore. Vector and Elektor were talking about Borderlands or something like that. Charmy was playing in the PlayPlace, and Thorn had volunteered to look after him.

Void and Sarah were introducing themselves to each other. Huh, that was kinda cute. Maybe she could look like she was paying attention by spying on them.

And Espio was reading a book. Wait… was that-

"346!"

That voice boomed through the air from the front counter. That was their number, and their food was waiting patiently.

Looking once to see if anyone would budge… clearly not… she volunteered "I'll get it!" and dashed from her seat to the food counter.

Sitting atop the "346"-bearing receipt sat five burgers, three McChickens, six large fries (one which belonged to her), two salads (one which belonged to Espio, she remembered), and eight large cups.

She hoisted the tray into both of her arms and tried to make her way back to the table. And it was all going great.

…Until one of her feet nudged a little too hard against the floor, resulting in her tripping over her feet. Once she regained her balance, she found that there were only five boxes of fries on the tray, for one ended up sprawled all over the floor near the wall.

Well… there went her lunch. Her stomach growled in mourning.

She looked around and spotted a broom and dustpan that a janitor had left behind, vowing that as soon as the rest of this food made it safely to the table, she'd clean up the mess she made. For now, though, she may have been down, but she wasn't taking any of her best friends with her!

She did make it back to the table (meticulously scanning the floor and her steps the entire way back) and set the tray down between Vector's duo and Sarah's duo. Calmly, she took one of the cups and tried to walk away.

"Hey," said Sarah after a few seconds. "Didn't you order some fries, Rachel?"

"I dropped them," Rachel explained. "Those are all yours. I guess I'm just a flub-up today." Recalling when she had spilled the dog's water bowl and stepped on her cat's tail all in that morning, it was true.

"I can share with you," Sarah offered.

"No, i-it's fine," Rachel sighed, putting her hand up. "I'm not going to have you pay for my mistake."

"…Okay," Sarah sighed.

So she went to the soda machine, filled the cup with some Dr. Pepper, and set it down at her table before heading for the broom and dustpan.

Once that was all said and done, she got back to notice that Espio was gone.

Before she could think to do much else, she got a look at the cover of his book. It was, and she had to stare at it several times to get it through to herself… Her second novel.

"Here," said a familiar voice from in front of her somewhere. "Eat."

She looked up to find that Espio was holding a freshly-fried box of fries out to her. Man, did she want to cry again.

"Y-You didn't have to-" she tried to say, knowing how flustered she probably looked.

"Take it," Espio insisted, setting it down in front of her.

Looking from both him to the fries several times, and once to the book, she said "…Thank you," starting to pick away at the fries before she embarrassed herself any further.

From the tops of her eyes, though, she noticed that he had picked up the book and moved from the seat next to Void to the seat directly in front of her, and was now opening his salad.

"…I…" she blushed, looking at the book again. "…That feels like so long ago…"

"I'm a big fan of your work," Espio admitted, appearing to be a bit flustered himself.

"O-Oh, are you?" Rachel responded, trying to psych herself up to look directly at his face. "Thank you… I… That's a huge honor."

"I was never that much of a romantic," said Espio, rubbing the nape of his neck a bit. "But the sci-fi element you put into this book was fascinating."

"I don't exactly remember where I got the idea," she said, finally looking squarely into his eyes. "It just came to me one day."

What was it about golden eyes, she wondered? Why is it that two romantic targets in a row had golden eyes?

"That's where the best ideas tend to come from," Rachel shrugged. "I've gotten ideas right before falling asleep before."

"Huh," Espio smiled. "I've had a few ideas in the past, but had been too busy to do anything with them before they escaped."

"That happens entirely too easily," Rachel nodded. "No matter if I'm half asleep, I always write down any great ideas I have immediately. It's really the only way to go about it."

Rachel had always been one to pick up on the little details, like with the guy who always had to sneak a glance at her every few seconds in her high school class.

That attention to detail showed its face here, telling her that Espio had not once looked away from her. She was suddenly reminded that she was talking to _Espio the Chameleon_ and had to work to keep her composure again.

All of a sudden, Sarah spoke up from next to them.

"You seem like you know everything about love," she told Rachel. "Yet you've never told us you've been with anyone."

"It's not whether you've been _with_ anyone," Rachel responded. "But more about whether you've been _in love_. If you're in love, you learn a lot. About who you are, about what to do, about what love really is… While you might not be as intellectually wealthy as someone with a doctorate degree, you could certainly be wiser."

Meanwhile, Espio remembered that that was another thing he really liked about her. He never got tired of her dialect. A true author at heart.

He realized he was smiling like a lunatic and tried to get ahold of himself.

"Ah," Sarah nodded.

However, Sarah also noticed that Rachel was looking at both her and Void with an evil grin on her face.

"…W-Why are you looking at us like that?!" she asked.

"Ah, nothing," Rachel chuckled.

Sarah then figured it out. You can't quite talk to someone of the opposite gender, alone, with Rachel around, can you? She turned back to Void with a disgruntled "Hmph", causing a wheeze of laughter out of Rachel.

Espio had to admit… that amused him a little as well. How? He had no idea.

Rachel turned back to Espio, picking up another fry before asking "So… what's it like working with those two?" She pointed her thumb at Vector, which was also the general direction of the PlayPlace.

"We end up here a lot, for one," said Espio. "I get the occasional heartfelt reminder that they're like brothers to me… but for just as much of the time, it can be a total trainwreck."

"Oh, really?" Rachel laughed a bit.

"No exaggeration," Espio sighed. "So…"

He stopped himself. Was this really a great question?

"Hmm?" asked Rachel, tilting her head and studying Espio closely. His face was a bit rosy. Did that mean anything?

"…W-Who…" he managed to say. "…You're a household name with some of us 'celebrities,' as they call us. Who are you friends with?"

If he could, he would've facepalmed. Better, but still not great.

"Celebrity-wise?" Rachel replied. "You guys, Shadow, Silver, and Amy. I talk with Sonic sometimes, too, but not very often."

The night in December when the company car broke down, and he called Silver to help him fix it… Silver had just come from what critics were calling a "date" with Rachel, didn't he? Silver had insisted that it was just a meetup because it was her birthday, but…

Wait, why was this even bothering him so much?

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Rachel.

He had visibly facepalmed now. Some impression he was making.

"I'm… fine," he responded. "Just thinking about some things."

"Ah," she nodded, reaching for her bag. "…Would you like me to let you think?"

"N-No! It's fine," he replied, putting his hands up to stop her.

His right hand ended up so close to Rachel's left that he could easily have held it. Realizing this, he became even redder and put his hands back by his sides.

"…Alright," said Rachel, raising an eyebrow, along with another fry. "So how was your day so far?"

"Pretty good, I'd say," Espio replied, completely truthfully. "And how was yours?"

Her heart leapt at the fact that he seemed to care about that…

"…I could be better," she shrugged. "I could be worse."

The news were occasionally headlining with the constant chronicles of a mysterious ailment that was giving her constant nausea. It almost made him angry how many times they just couldn't figure it out.

They suddenly noticed that everyone else was standing up. They must have been ready to go.

So about an hour later, Rachel was home. Staring at a computer screen, looking up any organizations that were associated with the police, and seeing if that poor hedgehog was on any wanted lists. At the end of the night, she almost choked on air when she found not his mugshot, but his name on a list. For reason of "terrorism," with no explanation. On G.U.N.'s list.

So about an hour later, Espio, Vector, and Charmy were home. Charmy had a slight bellyache because of how fast he ate the ice cream that Thorn had gotten him somewhere in that afternoon, Vector was watching some gaming videos that Elektor had recommended, and Espio was reading that same book under a tree with a mysterious happiness that he was trying to figure out.

So about an hour later, Sarah was home. Recounting Rachel's reaction to her talking with Void over and over.

* * *

 **Author's note: I write this for my own practice and pleasure as well as I write it for you guys, but I always worry about if one of these days, this is going to become too centered around my OC for some people. I know what it's like to wish someone would write me with someone I like, so I'm telling you this. There's a reason I ask for newcomers to tell me if the OC has any love interests: I'm all for making those OCs's creators happy with the power of romance! I don't want this to become** _ **too**_ **centered around me!**


	62. Episode 61 (Black Doom x Scourge)

**Props: My thanks this week go to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Reaver17, and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. After reading your responses, I just… I feel like I need to apologize for the topic this week. Even before that, I had totally realized that I had to start leaning toward shippings that weren't definitely shipped on crack. I'll be more conscious of that from now on!**

 **Reason for lateness: I've had a long week, and my brain isn't completely attached to me. I had to sleep. This is becoming more of a Friday/Saturday fanfic, isn't it?**

* * *

As soon as Rachel walked in the door that night… no, actually, as soon as the sun had set… she saw the disaster brewing in her world.

Elektor hadn't emailed. Usually, he sent her an email with the guest lineup for the next show. The deadline for that was 3pm on Friday, and for the year and-then-some that the show had been alive, he hadn't missed a beat. Not a beat was skipped… until then.

But that was merely the black clouds forming overhead. When she walked into the studio was when the sirens blared.

She walked in to face nobody but a pained-looking Luke. His poor face was scrunched up, as if he was trying to hold back tears.

He looked up and saw her.

"Elektor's only able to communicate with us through Chao," he explained.

Of course, Rachel's heart dropped when it came to light that Elektor couldn't even be there. What kind of situation had this entire ordeal put him in now?

The battle between this and the relief that he could at least communicate with them was a painful one.

"Chao?" Rachel asked.

"He trained one to be able to carry notes," said Luke. "Kinda like a carrier pigeon."

"Oh," Rachel nodded. If the situation wasn't so sensitive, she'd state how cool she thought that was. "Has he been able to communicate with you?"

"The Chao carrying this letter left just before you arrived," said Luke, holding up said letter.

He then opened it and read it aloud. It read as follows:

* * *

 _Dearest crew,_

 _Hopefully, only this week will see me in such a dire situation. I am considering turning myself in, not for time in this prison they want to send me to, but hopefully to work it out with them that I'm not the guy they're looking for._

 _They want me on terrorism charges for a crime I wasn't even around to commit. They want me because they believe that I am the one who poisoned Spagonia's water supply with a mysterious black-and-red film and sent half the city to the hospital, then planted bombs in the sewers that were ultimately defused. I was actually at the hospital because of a really bad nosebleed at the_ EXACT _time Spagonia police and witnesses saw the criminal there!_

 _I have a strong suspicion of who might have actually done it. If I'm correct, these were the same dumbasses who thought Shadow was Sonic, so there's no reason for doubt that they indeed could be that stupid. And I actually look pretty similar to this douche._

 _I believe it was Mephiles. I managed to catch a glimpse of a picture with the poisoned black water, and he immediately came to mind._

 _If I do decide to surrender, though, I will definitely have to either cough up some money or spend some time behind bars for running from G.U.N, but as long as they know that I didn't_ kill people, _I'll be fine._

 _Please, do not worry too much about me._

 _Luke, I feel like I've taught my final lesson to you a long time ago. I think you've got what it takes to run that beautiful show in my stead._

* * *

A ball of fear rolled up in Rachel's throat. No, Elektor, you're not resigning from this. You're not resigning from this, so don't talk like that!

* * *

 _And Rachel… for what it's worth… as a best friend and a close colleague… I love you. I've loved working with you for all this time, and more than anything, I hope to continue working with you. In the end, that's really all I'm fighting this for. To be back in the studio, to see your smiling face every weekend… I'd give everything and anything else._

* * *

Luke took a few pauses as he read that part.

"S-Sorry," he said. "Some of it's smudged for some reason. Did he get tears on this or something?"

Rachel peeked over the couch, and she took a shuddering gasp as she realized that more than likely, Luke was completely correct.

And to address the elephant in the room… Rachel took that "I love you" not as a completely new finding, but another knot in a continuing string. Always with the insistence that the love was only in the friendly category… this was not the first time he'd said he loved her.

Normally, she hated being the main cause of anyone's grievances. However, if she was why he was going to find his way out of this… so be it.

Keep fighting, she thought. I'll be here when you get back.

* * *

 _I'll be back as soon as I can. I miss you all so much!_

 _Your favorite behind-the-scenes guy_

 _P.S. Don't worry about having charges put on you for keeping a criminal. For one, I don't think G.U.N. focuses too much on those types of details. They lock onto what they're looking for, and everything else is just a blur. For two, you guys had no idea what was going on. If anything, I… kinda pinned it on you. Like a kidnapper using someone else's house to hide, you know? For three, any witnesses they bothered to bring in say I look nothing like the guy that was in the city that night. I think a protest group is starting to form. It's literally only G.U.N's stubbornness that's had shit hit the fan. And for four, I'm really riding on getting them to realize that I'm no criminal._

* * *

Having an idea of what was happening brought an uncountable amount of relief to both Luke and Rachel. In fact, they gave a relieved sigh at the exact same time.

So he was just going to spend a bit of time behind bars, right? He'd get out eventually. And afterwards, they would still see him as one of their closest allies.

Unlike Rachel, however, Luke's relief was immediately put to the wayside in favor of fear.

"S-Should we just cancel the show until further notice?" asked Luke. "For personal reasons? The audience would understand!"

Luke was a shaking, immature child right now. Trying to weasel his way out of this… It actually made Rachel a little angry.

"No, that's not what we're doing," she snapped, furrowing his eyebrows. "Elektor doesn't want that."

"B-But he…" Luke started to blubber. "He was my teacher!"

Rachel placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him the most glaring glare she could muster. This was really starting to tick her off.

"You read it aloud yourself, Luke," she asserted. "He's confident in you. He knows you can oversee the show."

Luke's eyes seemed to light up as a result of her saying this.

"He would be absolutely pissed off and heartbroken if you became a _quitter_ ," she continued, almost snarling the last word. "Won't he be proud of you when he gets back and sees how well you've done?"

"I… yeah," Luke nodded, with a smile.

"Hasn't he had you do it before?" asked Rachel.

"…Sometimes…" answered Luke. "He's always there, though."

But the last time, Elektor didn't have to say a word. He'd just stood there, his right foot resting against where the floor and the control panel met, his arm resting on that leg… smiling with both his mouth and his eyes…

"Alright…" Luke nodded. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" Rachel said, pumping a fist in the air. "We're gonna be strong, okay, Luke? For Elektor!"

"For Elektor…" Luke said to himself before hopping off the couch and into the producer's office.

An hour after that, the guests showed up, the audience was seated, and everything was bustling. The main cameraman had just rolled the frontmost camera out to its position.

As Rachel stood, one hand on her hip, her mind would not come off of questions about what the brave wolf was doing back there. Of course, her mind snapped to all the worse-case scenarios at first.

But no. According to him, he'd done this before, and they'd never had a problem. He had even resolved some close-call moments once or twice.

He had this. And it was going to be great.

The cameraman pointed at her, and it was time to begin.

"So I was at my town's most famous carnival last night," Rachel began. "The fire and police departments always have a little skit planned there to teach kids about fire safety, stranger danger, and whatnot. My friends and I always watch it every year for old time's sake, because this was the exact same skit we were seated in the gym to watch every year in elementary school."

Some of the audience said "Aww" in response to this. It was very subtle, though.

"But this year… the last year I'll be living in this city, by the way," Rachel continued. "…The year before we all go off to college… This is the year that one of my friends was picked to be a volunteer for a part of the show."

Most of the audience got a good chuckle at this point.

"It was the bit about what to do if a stranger attempts to lure you toward them," said Rachel. "…This friend of mine is at least 5 feet tall, standing next to these kids that could not have been older than 6 or 7. She's 17, and she got to scream 'No!' and run in place as if she was running away from a stranger. It was a good laugh. Well, welcome, everybody, to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave their most enthusiastic applause.

"So this week… a lot of outcries of rage have come from this one," said Rachel. "Someone paired Black Doom and Scourge up, so it caught the eye of our producer, and here we are. I've… got nearly nothing to say. Usually, I have enough of an open mind to give a lot of shippings a PUSC rating… which means 'Possible Under Specific Circumstances'… but this one just looks impossible. Scourge, for one, is as straight as a line… or at least, that's how I see it. Black Doom practically doesn't have a heart, and even if he did, I don't think Scourge is who it would choose. And vice versa. These two would not fall for each other under ANY circumstances, in my opinion. In fact, I more see them as becoming mortal enemies someday. Let's see what our guests think. Let's get Thorn, Void, and Sarah out here."

The three proud guests made their ways to their seats in harmony with the applause. Sarah and Thorn waved to them and were smiling the entire way… while Void did not look pleased in the least.

In fact… did he seem a bit spinier than usual? Ah, shite…

"Hey, guys," she greeted them sheepishly.

"With this… ehh?" Thorn answered. "PUSC on this one for me. I don't really see this working out very well. Shadow acts as an 'I'm better than anybody else' person sometimes, so Black Doom probably does that even more often. In fact, he'd much more likely kill Scourge than accept a relationship with him."

"…Okay, I was holding it together as long as I could…" Void snarled.

Yep, he definitely was spinier. Angry. Destroying the back of that chair. His eye twitched, and he growled.

"This isn't funny, guys," he said. "Dad may not be Father of the Year, but… Scourge?"

Void eyed that frontmost camera, and the hedgehog behind it hid as if it was the shield in front of his life.

"For those of you who write about this," he threatened. "I have a search engine, and I will find you."

On Earth, this would've gotten him thrown out. He hadn't killed anyone yet, though…

"Excuse me," he stated before standing from what was left of his chair and walking out of the studio.

…More accurately, creating a mini quake with each of his steps and slamming the back door so hard that Rachel could hear the nuts and bolts in the knob shake with fear.

She also looked to see that there were now dents in the stage.

Everyone was silent for a good minute… before Sarah swallowed her fear and facepalmed.

"Just no," she said. "I thought that Scourge and Zonic was bad… but my Chaos, this is far worse! In what universe do these two even meet, anyways? I'm sorry, but people, we're talking about an alien and a mass criminal throughout the zones. No. Nope."

"…Nope, indeed," said Rachel, trying to make her legs feel solid again so she could stand. Even an intern producer couldn't have made her stomach feel any more like a rock.

…Elektor hadn't given her next week's topic. They usually went over a huge schedule whenever he was there, though. Come on, memory… What was next? What was next?... Ah, that's right!

"We'll try to tread… more carefully from now on," she stated. "Is talking about Bokkun and Cream a bit safer? I suppose we'll see next week!"

Rachel could barely say "week" before the hedgehog by the frontmost camera flipped it off and started packing it up. Compared to the molasses that the leaving audience was usually like… they were more like syrup this week.

As soon as Rachel went backstage, she nearly ran into a more-relieved-than-anything looking Luke.

"I… did it…" he both breathed and laughed. "…Not a mistake was made…"

"There ya go!" Rachel cheered.

"…I still miss Elektor, though…" he sighed.

"I know…" Rachel sighed. "I'm worried even sicker about him. I… just hope he's okay… That he's going to be able to be proven innocent... I'm afraid as to what a _prison_ would do to the poor soul…"

Luke gasped as soon as she said that last thing.

"He already seems like a sad person," he worried aloud. "…Oh, God…"

* * *

 **Author's note: I think I should make it official. Thoughts of the Unknown will be updated every Friday** _ **or Saturday**_ **. If it's Saturday, I'll still always explain my reasoning because I always intend on getting it out Friday night, and I feel like I owe that to you all.**


	63. Episode 62 (Bokkun x Cream)

**Props: Thank you to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Reaver17, and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. And thanks to any and all of you for putting up with me!**

 **Reason for lateness: I feel as if this is the latest I've ever been, and it's because I'm recovering from homecoming festivities. Friday was a long day, and I was just so spaced out that… completely truthfully… it** _ **dawned**_ **on me that I still had to write this. Don't get me wrong, Thoughts of the Unknown is no chore. It's more like a promise I feel like I'm breaking. I am so sorry.**

* * *

" _Hey, Rachel!" Luke said into the phone in Elektor's office._

" _Hey, Luke…" Rachel sighed from the other side. "For once… I'm the one postponing the show. A brother of one of my friends was killed in that hurricane that's hitting the southern part of Mobius. I think I need to spend tonight comforting her."_

"… _Oh my God, by all means…" Luke shuddered. "Take as much time as you need."_

Simple as that was the phone call that took place the previous afternoon.

As was expected, Rachel walked toward the studio _desperately_ hoping that tonight's festivities would make the previous night a distant memory.

Her friend's tears just would not stop coming. Rachel's was one of four faces, four pairs of arms, and four hearts that had come together to convince the grieving one's heart to start sewing itself back together. With each vow of "He meant everything to me!" and "I could trust him with anything!", Rachel swore her face was getting closer and closer to leaking salty tears of its own.

That never ended up happening. But let me tell you, that friend said she was going to bed and let everyone else leave in the nick of time.

Even now, as Rachel was about to reach for the doorknob on the back door of the studio, the cries that were wailed the previous night replayed, with numerous echoes, in her mind's ear. She squinted her eyes and shook her head, as if to dislodge the memory like a tick. She opened her eyes again to find that it worked, for the most part. The cries were fading.

She walked into the studio, even further losing track of that horrible memory when she heard banging noises come from the stage. In a sort of panic coinciding with memory of last week's show, she dashed through the curtain.

What she found was the offender merely reversing his damages. Void was knelt down and so kindly banging the dents out of the stage.

"Huh?" he said, looking up to see her. "Oh, hi… Sorry about my, uh… temper tantrum. I wasn't thinking clearly."

He gave an innocent smile. For the mere reason of it being the first smile Rachel had seen all night, it made her feel oddly calm.

"I apologize if I scared you…" Void continued. "I'll, uh… I'll pay for that chair… or just reserve it so I don't wreck another one… so yeah."

"Keep it," Rachel laughed, more out of joy than anything. "It's your chair for this show from now on."

As she walked away, Void blushed ever so slightly, more out of embarrassment than anything.

In a short amount of time, the show was on the air with the point of a finger.

And Rachel had the impression that Luke was proudly taking the reins again. She was honestly proud of that kid and did not have to worry one bit.

"So I was at my school's homecoming game yesterday," Rachel said. "And there's really only one redeeming factor that made up for our team losing horribly. And that's that near the end, people were freaking out because they thought there was a clown nearby."

Less laughter came from this than she expected.

"Granted, it is kinda a serious matter," she shrugged. "It's been happening in our area for some time, but… that was more interesting than the game itself."

There was a slight murmur, and one voice was clearly heard saying "Yeah, I get that."

"Anyway…" she sighed. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

At this, the audience gave its usual applause. Good, so she wasn't a complete failure.

"So tonight, we're talking about a couple o' kids," Rachel shrugged again. "Bokkun and Cream, everyone. Geez… It's funny, actually… Right after I brought that up as the next subject, I found myself liking it! I personally think it would be really cute! I think Cream would make a good partner for Bokkun, personally. Her sweet, kind nature would maybe even change his ways. But that's what I think. Let's get our three guests out here to express what they think! Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Void, and Sarah!"

To the tune of the usual grand applause, the three aforementioned souls beamed as they made their ways to their seats, Void giving an awkward chuckle as he set sights on his rightful throne, with the stuffing leaking from the back in white plumes.

"So…" Rachel smiled. "Bokkun and Cream. Young love or an old story?"

And that smile stayed on her face for once. This was what she needed. Happiness.

"I could only see these two being good friends, in all honesty," Thorn replied. "Then again, there is room for a little romance, but it's a small door to get through. Also, Bokkun would, in a way, live forever… while Cream would age and eventually die. It seems pretty sad for that to happen in a relationship. It's kinda like it would be with Shadow…"

Rachel could just barely imagine Cream _dying_ someday. It seemed just as weird as if someone actually looked at someone's kid and said "They'll be dead someday."

Void cleared his throat before adding his take.

"This one is… cute…" he said. "But I think Cream would be happy just being friends with the little guy. She's a little too innocent for anything more complicated than that."

Rachel shrugged.

"I can see that," she said, despite mostly disagreeing to herself about the "Cream's too young" concept.

"Honestly, I also think the thought of Bokkun and Cream together is really cute," Sarah smiled. "Though since they are so young, I don't see them dating… but maybe when they grow older, it could work out. Even if Bokkun is Eggman's robot, I still think he can reform. Him and Cream are just so innocent."

"Yeah, I see that," Rachel explained. "Granted, I'm not seeing them going up to Makeout Point and doing unspeakable things anytime soon. That's not what I'm saying. See… what I'm picturing is something cute, like them getting all flustered and shy around each other (especially from Bokkun), and giving each other flowers and just… cute things like that."

"Yeah, I gotcha," Thorn nodded. "Like elementary school love."

"Exactly!" Rachel smiled, pointing at Thorn.

Then, she stood.

"Well, that's it for this time around," she said. "Next time around… Cream's still on the docket! Until tonight, I thought that Cream's love life would most likely take flight… literally, maybe… with a certain bee. Yeah. At one point, I shipped Charmy and Cream… but now, I'm on the fence. Guests will get the chance to convince me one way or the other next week! See ya all then!"

She wasn't quite expecting her heart to stop as she stepped over the line dividing the stage and the backstage area.

No, she didn't keel over in a sudden heart attack.

But she might as well have.

Someone was leaning against the door to the producer's office, speaking with a bright-eyed Luke. Rachel's heart felt as if it was literally climbing her ribcage and trying to look out to get a better view. It even took her a few seconds to realize that she'd gasped.

The gray fur that perfectly compared to the sky on a stormy day had never been a more marvelous sight.

That was Elektor.

And he was smiling. _He was alright!_

"E-…" she shook. "…ELEKTOR!"

Something just kinda rose in her. A sort of desperate gratefulness that nobody usually ever got from her. Seeing someone she hadn't seen in years usually elicited nothing more than a smile from her.

But now… he was back, and that was all that mattered.

Before she could even weigh his reaction, or even begin to care about Luke's, she had sprinted over to him and nearly tackled him to the ground.

She didn't want to let him go. She held onto him for dear life and buried her face into the fur on his chest, squinting her eyes and trying to hold back as many tears as was physically possible.

She found herself smiling again when she felt that Elektor had wound his arms around her in response, perhaps holding her just as tightly.

Meanwhile, from Elektor, the initial impact had resulted in a shocked grunt. He was actually scared for the first moment… but looking down and seeing that it was Rachel, he immediately found his heart doing dances of its own. With as much excitement as was physically possible, he held her as tightly as he could.

Within the course of the past two weeks, it didn't take very long for him to get sick of two things: being wrongly accused… and not getting to see that beautiful face.

"You're okay, right?" she asked, clearly trying to hold herself together.

"I am now," he sighed, resting his chin on Rachel's head and rubbing her back.

Rachel giggled a bit… making Elektor's heart go aflame for a second… before she pulled away and looked at him.

"I've heard all about the protests," she said. "I… guess they worked, huh?"

"Well, that," Elektor laughed. "And they realized I actually am NOT the guy they're looking for! They made me go through all these tests to determine what powers I had, finding that I could not do what Meph- er, the guy that poisoned the water did."

"Really think it was him, huh?" said Rachel.

"It's gotta be!" Elektor replied.

"Still…" Rachel sighed, realizing something that made some of her hope get crushed. "You ran from the police."

"They fined me halfway out of house and home," Elektor responded. "But that's it. They're not giving me any jail time, only because they realized that they were the ones who made the mistake."

"…Wait…" said Rachel. "G.U.N., admitting they made a mistake?"

Elektor threw his head back and laughed at that.

"More accurately, the main police unit in the city cracked down on them," he said. "One of the guys who was really mean to me in interrogation is actually being charged."

Rachel let out a triumphant laugh.

"Do you know how great it is to hear that?" she smiled.

Elektor then looked at her, feeling nearly every nerve in his body go into an unmatched ease.

He then told her "I think they also wanted to punish me by keeping me away from your soothing voice."

This actually sent Rachel a miniscule jolt of shock. She also felt her face heat up a bit.

"Well, I…" she chuckled, losing some sense of words. "I wouldn't call it THAT…"

Oh, but he would. As were her eyes, her smile… As was she, really.

In a moment where Rachel's eyes were darting around the room as to offset the question of whether or not he had just tried to flirt with her… his eyes, as well as his widening smile, were fixated on her, as to assert the answer that no matter how bad of an attempt it might have been, it was certainly an attempt.

* * *

 **Author's note: I'm not sure if I put G.U.N. in the proper light. I only know of them from what they did in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, which didn't give me the greatest impression.**


	64. Episode 63 (Charmy x Cream)

**Props: Thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Hedgehogwriter07, and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. I'm more grateful for you guys than I am for a lot of things.**

 **Author's note (with a heads-up included): A little bit ago, Thoughts of the Unknown came to a point where it's starting to run out of juice. Enough time, and I'd just be tossing two random people together (I mean, many of the episodes already do that, but it'd be constant after a certain time). I'm going through the characters we haven't addressed yet and grabbing shippings from that. For instance, we haven't talked about Charmy yet. Charmy and Cream! As such, there are a few things to be known.**

 **Yes, the days of Thoughts of the Unknown are numbered.**

 **However, especially at the point where we near the end of it all, I'd appreciate it if you, the best fans I've ever had, could throw out whatever shippings haven't been addressed yet that you absolutely have to see discussed.**

 **And the warning for this chapter: As a result of all this, there is a HUGE plot point tonight. One which is centered completely around a couple of the OCs involved.**

 **Reason for lateness: My keyboard decided to be a little shit, so I had to wait overnight to see if it wanted to work again. It did!**

* * *

"… _R-Rachel?" Elektor said into his phone, which had turned into an ice brick at this point. The cold didn't help with the fact that his voice was already quivering a bit._

" _Hm?" Rachel responded into her phone, which was still kind of a heated brick at this point. "…Huh? Sounds like something's bothering you!"_

"… _Rachel…" Elektor sighed. "After the show next week… I… If you don't mind… I… I was wondering if you'd like to come over to my place."_

"… _Sure," Rachel nodded, feeling her heart picking up a bit of pace. "Is there… something you need to talk about?"_

" _Not only that," Elektor smiled. "I got some hot dogs and realized a cookout would be nice!"_

"… _It's freezing outside," Rachel laughed a bit._

 _Feeling his heart fall to his gut for a second, Elektor replied "You're right. Alright… baked hot dogs and a movie. Sound cool?"_

" _Sounds awesome, actually!" Rachel replied, almost like a cheer. "I'd be excited to do that! Yeah, I'll see you then!"_

" _Yeah!" Elektor cheered back. "See ya!"_

 _He made sure he could hear a definite click from the other side before he hung up. He then took in and let out a huge breath that ultimately faded into the air as a plume of steam. He looked back through the trees and eyed his small, one-level house. The one that'd be the host to something that had to happen._

That Friday night, as soon as Rachel walked into the studio, she eyed Elektor, who was standing right there and eyeing her as well.

Knowing they had a gig tonight… It brought a sudden amount of excitement to both of them.

"Hey, Elektor!" Rachel beamed, waving at him.

"Hi, Rachel!" Elektor smiled, bringing her into a quick second-long hug.

But in an awkward bit of silence, they walked away and went separate ways, Elektor going toward the office, and Rachel going toward the stage.

As Rachel awaited the main cameraman's signal, her mind was completely on Elektor. Her mind was completely on the night ahead… with Elektor. The week before, with his call, she'd immediately picked up that something was off.

She had a feeling that something huge was about to go down over hot dogs… and her mind immediately snapped to what she had a _strong_ feeling it was going to be. What would she prepare to do?

And as Elektor looked to the screens in front of him, awaiting the start of the weekly excitement… he'd never been so confident in a decision before. Not being able to go back was never so much of a _relief_.

It was the exact same feeling you'd get from realizing that staying home from school was definitely the right idea. That trying to push through would've ended in failure.

The previous week… walking back into the studio delivered an amount of happiness around the size of a honeybee, he wanted to say. Seeing the familiar night-black walls of the backstage collaborate with the orange couches to create such a mysterious feeling (how festive) made him feel as if he was… home. Actually in the kind of home they show in Christmas ads: the kind where you feel as if you're in a warm place where you really belong.

…The moment Rachel showed up, though, hit him with happiness the size of a _semi truck_. Squeezing her as tightly as he could just sort of happened.

With the first time she laughed, the vibrations of her vocal cords tangible on his fur… That was when he knew it all came to a point. Hence the flirting attempt; he just had to say something.

She likely took said attempt as a joke. And it was a bit disappointing.

He'd always known she was thoughtful. Suddenly, though, her touch was intoxicating.

He'd always known her voice was sweet. Suddenly, though, he had to restrain himself from kissing the lips it came from.

He'd always known of her ability to brighten anyone's day, especially with her sense of humor. Suddenly, though, his heart was invigorated just by the sight of her smile.

It'd finally all come to a head… where while he'd always known she was beautiful, she was suddenly irresistible.

Where holding back would be impossible if he'd let it go for one more week. One more _night_ , even. It was going to slip, and that's definitely not how he wanted her to find out.

Tonight after the show, over hot dogs, she had to find out through direct and completely intentional delivery that he was in love with her. Whatever the result. It almost didn't matter anymore.

Before he knew it, the same angelic voice was starting on its beholder's weekly anecdote. This week's episode was underway.

"So... I'm slightly convinced I _could_ be a ninja," said Rachel. "Compared to someone like Espio, probably not, but... still."

At the mention of that name, a good-feeling shiver shot through her body. Well, that was helpful information...

"In 5th grade," she continued. "We're all in line outside, waiting to go inside after recess. All of a sudden, a wasp starts pestering me. Well, 'pestering' is the wrong word. Those little jerks are one of my biggest fears. So in a desperate attempt to get it the hell away from me, I start employing a trick I learned: clapping. Apparently, the sound of it... I don't remember how it worked, but it was supposed to scare it away. 'They're more scared of you than you are of it.' LIES. All lies."

The audience laughed in understanding.

"But in one snapshot moment," Rachel said, holding up a finger. "My hands were right here." She held her hands roughly 6 inches apart. "And the bee was here." She pointed to a spot directly between her hands. "So without intending it, I attacked the bee from both sides with my hands."

Some of the audience gasped. Tensions were a bit high.

"Now, you'd think 'It had to have stung you!'" she continued. "...But all I felt for that split second was a lump between my palms. Then, I saw it fall to the ground and start walking, because I'd done nothing but bust its wings. One person even said 'It stung you.' But it didn't! That adds a miracle to another miracle! I actually had to check my palms to make sure, though, but I got out without a wound!"

The audience laughed again.

"And right before we went inside," she concluded. "I turned the little guy into a pile of mush with my foot as a final bit of revenge. If that had happened today, I probably woulda let the guy go, but... what can you do? Ah, well. Welcome, everyone, to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave its excited cheer. The one that told Rachel "For another week, you belong here."

"Ah, thank you guys so much," she smiled. "It means so much to me, you have no idea. So... this week, we're talking about a shipping which I had shipped in the past. Charmy and Cream, another couple of young souls. I shipped this one because I thought it'd be the most likely to happen. More than likely, Vanilla and Cream are pretty close to the Chaotix, right? Charmy and Cream are around the same age, meaning out of that group, they'd be the most likely to bond, right? I also just saw it as more possible than the shipping of Tails and Cream, which is what many support. I just... saw it. It was a gut thing. So... what do our guests think? Let's hear it from them! Thorn, Sarah, and Void, I'd like to welcome you back to the stage!"

The audience cheered for the trio as they found their seats. Void still smiled awkwardly as he caught sight of his iconic barely-a-chair.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel waved. "So... these two kids. Playground romance or playground brawl?"

"Oddly enough, I may see this happening as a relationship. First, I see them at their current ages, being best friends. Cream straightening Charmy out when he does something bad, you know? They get a bit older and get the feels for each other, and later start dating! I don't know, it just seems a bit better than Cream and Bokkun, even though he and Charmy are pretty relatable."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I see that. Sarah, what do you think?"

"Actually, much like Bokkun and Cream, I do see this as possibly happening," Sarah explained. "Though as normal: start as best friends now and eventually grow into something more."

"Yeah, sure," Rachel agreed. "Although... I personally think it's perfectly possible for them to start developing feelings at _this_ point in time. That's just how I see it, though. Void, your thoughts?"

"I'm gonna be perfectly honest," Void explained. "I don't like the Cream ships. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is like a whole 'but if she wasn't a kid' type thing, but in keeping with my unofficial role as resident skeptic, please just hear me out. Fact #1: I have trouble seeing Cream as anything other than a little girl."

Rachel nodded in complete agreement.

"Charmy reminds me of an immature teenager, even though I think he's, like, six... whatever that means in bee terms. Fact #2: I think it would be extremely out of character for Cream to start dating anybody. She's always been that oblivious happily-ever-after girl that makes everyone feel better when they're down, and dating any of the Freedom Fighters would complicate that, I think. And finally, the big one... Fact #3... Ready? Charmy Bee, prince of the former Golden Hive Colony, is ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED."

Some of the audience nearly had the breath knocked out of them by this, as did Rachel.

"YEAH," Void continued. "Now, Saffron Bee happens to be the one who means the most to him. Unorthodox as marriage arranged by the colony is, they have genuinely fallen in love with each other. I don't care if you don't read the comics, those two are perfect for each other."

Rachel found her fingers digging into the arm of her chair. Void wasn't necessarily doing anything to agitate her... at least, not on purpose. She had just grown to really dislike mention of the comics, and for one sole reason. A... personal one, if you will. For the sake of her happiness, she'd stuck with the belief that for the reason that fan letters were mentioned, the comics were non-canon. Not to bring anyone else down, but to preserve her own sanity. Why?

If the comics were canon, she would have lost all hope as the result of Espio x Nicole. It would have been Silvaze all over again.

"Now, of course, I'm sure some people are going to argue that I just enjoy finding things wrong with these shippings," Void concluded. "I'm good at that, sure, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. Nothing further."

"...You present a... strong case," Rachel nodded, not being able to argue with his points. "Also, I didn't know that about Charmy! Thanks for enlightening us!"

"Of course!" Void smiled, taking a bit of a bow in his seat.

Rachel stood.

"Well, that's all the time we have for this week," she announced. "...Before I continue, I just want everyone to know that Chris Thorndyke and Sonic WAS on the list, but I purposefully begged for that to be skipped. I'm trying to avoid shippings that'll have a unanimous answer of NO."

The audience belted out laughter in response.

"But seriously," Rachel said. "Chris is on the docket for next week. He and Helen have been paired together, and we're going to talk about it! Huh... that's funny... We're talking about the shipping of a couple of humans! HA! That's funny! I'll see you all then!"

At that, as the crowd slowly scattered, Rachel switched off her microphone and set it on the table by the curtain.

She then took a deep breath and went backstage to seek out that road-gray hedgehog. So the mystery begins...

The manhunt didn't last for long. Rachel suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around.

"Heya!" the smiling Elektor greeted her. He then held up his keys. "Ready to go?"

"Y-yeah, sure," Rachel nodded.

At that, they left the studio.

Rachel followed Elektor out into the parking lot and wrapped her coat more tightly around her.

Eventually, she waited as Elektor unlocked the driver's door of your standard black automobile, which had a couple of those thin white stripes running along the side. The streetlight reflected off of it a lot, though. Maybe he liked to keep it polished.

They were soon in the car. Usually, whenever Rachel got into someone else's car for the first time, she expected some overwhelming smell of either tobacco or air freshener. That wasn't the case, which had her smiling for a bit. It just... It smelled like a car. Just a car, as cars were intended to be.

Before she knew it, they were turning into Elektor's driveway. The place looked decent. It was a quaint, one-story house on a sort of suburban street... if suburban streets normally had a vast expanse of trees. His house was almost surrounded by them.

So they parked and went inside. Elektor immediately darted toward what was soon clear to be the kitchen, while Rachel removed her coat and gathered the first impressions of her surroundings.

It was a really warm-looking place. To the left was a main living room area, with a black couch in the middle, looking toward a flat-screen TV that sat on a mahogany TV shelf. Wait, was that mahogany? She was no artisan. The walls were mostly brick-red, the floor carpeted with white. It was all only dimly lit. It all smelled like a delicious rainforest... wait, _peaceful_ rainforest. She was hungry.

Within a few seconds, Elektor returned, clapping once and saying "Alright, those dogs are in the oven! They shouldn't take too long."

"Wait, DOGS?!" Rachel joked. "That's awful!"

They both had a hearty laugh from that.

Elektor, the first to stop, heard the last little bits of Rachel's laughter and felt every little bit of him flutter. He was once again reminded why they were here.

"Go pick out a movie," he said, pointing toward the TV. "They're all in that drawer over there."

Rachel nodded and went to kneel down to open said drawer.

She swallowed something like... fear? She supposed she could call it that. Most of the titles that waited on the very top were completely unknown to her. They had either dark or blazing cases, and... if she had to guess, they were all action movies.

She took a quick look at Elektor, who she could barely see starting to get out some Pringles and cookies. So that guy was an action and gun sorta guy, huh?

A tense sigh escaped from her lungs as she looked back at the movies. Alright, get ahold of yourself, Rachel... That was only the top of the pack. You can't judge someone by their movie selection! Granted... that was actually a good way to judge what someone was into...

"I-I hope you don't mind if I disorganize these a bit," she told Elektor.

"Tear 'em apart," Elektor laughed. "I kinda figured you wouldn't like all the doom-and-gloom stuff. I've got a few other things in there!"

So after a minute or so, she had two piles: those she shook her head at, and those she was choosing from. And the pile of those she was choosing from only consisted of one: Pixels.

She had the final one in her hand. Woah...

"Hey, you've got Milo and Otis!" she beamed. "I haven't seen this movie in so long!"

"Ah, that was my little sister's," Elektor explained.

What was this now?

"Wait, you have a little sister?" Rachel asked.

"...Yeah, I guess I never told you..." Elektor chuckled awkwardly. "Her name's Trisch."

"Ah, that's a nice name," Rachel replied. "...Have you ever seen this movie?"

"Once, years ago," said Elektor.

"It's not got the highest budget, I'm assuming," Rachel explained. "It's a little strange, because I think they just do voiceovers over the animals meowing and barking and whatnot. And there's a brief birth scene. But... it's really charming. I remember watching it several times because I liked it so much, and that's not something I usually do."

"I take it that's your choice, then?" Elekor laughed, having secretly listened to every word of her little analysis in awe.

"I mean, if you're okay with it!" Rachel asserted. "I was choosing between that and Pixels."

"Agh, not Pixels again," Elektor cringed. "It's an okay movie. It's just that I LITERALLY watched it last night."

"If you watched it last night..." Rachel thought aloud. "Why was it near the bottom of your movie drawer?"

"...You play too much Ace Attorney," Elektor said to her before opening the oven door, thinking again about how cute she was.

Rachel could smell the hot dogs from where she was and immediately headed toward the kitchen in excitement.

"Hey, I actually haven't gotten to play it for a while!" Rachel protested, searching to see if there were any buns out. "I need the next one in the series, and the order didn't go through, and... well... yeah."

"That sucks," Elektor chuckled a bit, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a package of buns.

The next two hours or so went by with ease and swiftness. For some reason, hot dogs with Pringles and Oreos had never tasted so great. Elektor, unlike Rachel, knew what added that extra little spice of flavor. They also managed to use a few things to get a few laughs during the movie, which was always great.

And about two hours later, the credits were rolling.

Rachel looked at Elektor for a second. Huh... Who just stares at the credits like that? She smiled in preparation to start teasing him about it, but at the last millisecond, she caught herself.

Something was on his mind. She knew because his eyes were angled a bit downwards, not moving a single centimeter. Also, he took several long and nervous sighs, and... while she only had the light of the white words onscreen to use, she almost thought his face looked a little warm.

Her gut started to twist into little knots, and not because of her illness.

"...Hey, Elektor?" she asked, as calmly as possible. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?

For that brief moment, Elektor only looked at her.

Just sort of stared into her eyes, almost as if his own eyes were embracing them. It calmed him and quickened his anxiety at the same time.

Well... he had to admit, the moment felt perfect. The night was still young, but brought just the right darkness and starlight. She was still just as angelic as he had expected, if not a huge bit more. The slight urge to kiss her that he always had was at a level where it was still manageable, but noticeable all the same.

More importantly than anything, they were sharing a happy moment together.

No, actually... more importantly than anything, he could not let her walk out of here without knowing.

"Yeah, there was," he stated. "It's actually pretty important."

Meanwhile, Rachel did her best to maintain eye contact with him. He seemed to be doing the same, but... _effortlessly_. His golden eyes were only a third shut, the top of his muzzle was definitely rosy, and he had this... this warm smile on his face. That thought she passed off as zany was now pounding at her skull and making itself known. And she knew instantly that it was making her face go warm as well.

Was... was he...

"Um..." Elektor said. "...I suppose I should ask a question first... Have you met that special someone yet?"

That thought was now a fact.

"Well..." Rachel responded, shaking slightly and swallowing the fear that Elektor would end up as a mess by the end of the night. She HAD to be honest. Not only was it in the very short code of conduct she made for herself... but it was the only way.

"Hm?" Elektor asked.

"...K-Kinda..." Rachel replied. "I-I don't want to say he means EVERYTHING to me yet, because I really just have a crush on him. That crush is pretty secure, though. I've mentioned Espio before, right?"

"Yeah," Elektor nodded. "...He's the one that's helping your life piece back together after you sunk so low because of Silver, right?"

He paid that kind of attention?

"I completely understand," he sighed. "...I think he's kind of a grump, though. I'd just be worried he'd be too serious to make you happy. I'm glad you're happy, though. If he's making you happy, by all means... I support you."

Throughout the progression of that statement, Elektor's voice had gotten shakier, and his eyes were slightly squinted.

He looked down to the floor, clearly trying to hold something back.

It made him upset, didn't it? And for a reason... didn't it?

"E-Elektor..." Rachel said, putting her hand on his shoulder and feeling her own eyes start to grow wet.

Elektor swallowed, sighed, and looked back up at her again. He couldn't be a fit of tears in saying this. He had to be strong.

"I have... met that someone," he said, looking so straightly into her eyes that it seemed as if he was trying to locate her soul. "I... think I'm in love with her. She's smart... she always knows how to make me laugh... I just love the way she is. I'm sure she doesn't feel the same..."

He looked down at the floor again.

"And... well... I understand."

Rachel's breath was now rigid, and she was trying to grasp onto words... but they were flying everywhere. All sorts of words, flying everywhere.

And Elektor, having put it out there, was trying to get a grasp on himself and his composure. He COULDN'T break down and be weak. NOT like this...

Therefore, there was a silence that lasted much too long.

And Rachel was the one to break it. She knew what was happening, to a tee... but she was always one to make absolute sure. Elektor wanted to refer to "this person" in third person. Well, Rachel was going to treat "this person" as such, too!

"I-I'm sure the friendship between you two makes her absolutely happy," she tried to assure him.

In response, Elektor looked back up at her with a brief smile on his face. As brief as it was, it was there.

"...Rachel..." Elektor asked. "Would it be bad if she was you?"

Rachel's heart threw itself against her ribcage again.

"...There's..." she responded. "...It wouldn't be BAD, per se... I don't think... Then again, I've heard several different things about your love life."

And that was another reason this likely wasn't going to go so well for the poor guy. He could be so vague sometimes. That was something Rachel did not want in a boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" asked Elektor.

"...Just like that," said Rachel, snapping once. "You were back with Viola."

A hint of anger found its way into her vocal cords.

"No warning," she said. "No thought about what sorts of different things could have happened being with someone who quite literally turned against you voluntarily..."

At this, Elektor felt some of his composure slip out of his reach. Rachel could sense this.

"...That was a stupid mistake..." he shook. "I... I can't explain how I could have been so stupid... But even if I was still enough of a dumbass to think she could mean anything to me..."

He was debating whether or not to apologize to Rachel for doing such a thing.

"There's really an unchangeable truth I've known for a long time, and I'm just now getting it through my skull," he said. "...I was just looking for someone to... to... Dare I say it... I was looking for someone to take _your_ place."

"Huh?!" Rachel reacted.

Elektor turned to face her completely and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I was looking for someone to keep me from being sad," he continued. "I was looking for someone to take my attention away from the fact that you... the only one who can make me truly happy... likely would never feel the same way about me as I do about you."

Rachel wasn't able to say a word.

"You ARE that girl," he said. "I knew that since the moment I first met you for real. We've been through so much... and for all that you've done for me, some of it without even trying... I love you."

No, she didn't feel the same way.

At the same time, though... the way he held onto her helped to relax her. He... He made her feel safe. Loved. Reassured.

Half of her heart was screaming for her to just give him a chance.

But that was taken over by the fact that more than likely, these "feelings" were just the gratefulness that she was being held at all.

She needed to be absolutely in love with someone before she could get with them, because the last thing she wanted was to break anyone's heart. The thought of breaking Elektor's heart was just too terrifying.

She had to admit, though... he did make her happy. Sometimes.

She didn't love Elektor yet.

But honestly, she sometimes wondered why she didn't. And knowing he loved her... something that she knew would be attractive to her... certainly helped her to wonder.

...But at the same time... she'd had her fair run-in with people who mean well, but just don't do well at it. Elektor was unfortunately one of them. Falling back into traps, being vague... it was worrying.

"...So..." Rachel asked. "...A-Are you asking me whether I'd like to be your girlfriend? Like, is that the question here?"

"...I think so, yeah," Elektor sighed, removing his hands from her shoulders.

"Hey..." Rachel said. "...No hard feelings, alright? I... I just need to process this. Figure out what my next move is, you know?"

Elektor nodded.

"For now, the answer is 'no,'" she said. "But... I..."

"Don't get so worked up over it," Elektor assured her, somehow relaxing her with his eyes alone. "I understand."

"...Thank you," Rachel smiled. "And... thank you for being honest with me. That's a really hard thing to confess."

"It was more like... I had to before I went insane," Elektor admitted with a smile.

"Yeah, I get that," Rachel laughed. "...And... thanks for having me over."

"Oh, anytime!" Elektor beamed. "...Despite... that... this was really fun."

"And you know what?" Rachel added. "I'm really glad I got to watch that movie with you."

"Me too," Elektor smiled.

...Ah, hell, was turning him down really the right decision?

It was, she tried to assure her heart. From what could be gathered, it would save her a lot of lost time and grief later.

...But... Frick...

Soon enough, they got their coats on and headed to the car.

It took about 10 or so minutes to get from there to the studio. Elektor found the spot right next to Rachel's car and parked.

"I've still got a few things I need to do here," he explained. "If you'd like, you can leave."

"...I really should get home, I suppose," Rachel sighed.

They got out, and before Elektor could head toward to the studio, Rachel said "Hey, Elektor..."

Elektor stopped, turned to her, and replied "Yeah?"

"...Is it still okay for me to hug you?" Rachel asked with a smile.

Smiling again, Elektor replied "It'll never not be okay, Rachel." He opened his arms. "Don't worry."

Gratefully, she took the opportunity and wrapped her arms around him. She was more than grateful when he returned the embrace.

"Again... thank you for tonight," she smiled.

"Of course," Elektor smiled back.

Meanwhile, Elektor looked down at her and pieced it all together.

Before, it was a question as to whether or not he should even have tried. Now, though, the door was slightly ajar, and the situtation turned into something from a movie.

It was now okay for him to actively try to win her heart. The little things, the big things... getting her flowers and holding the door open for her once in a while...

He was also relieved that the monkey was now off his chest. She knew, at least. He'd accomplished that much.

But more than anything, though... he could not ever thank her enough for how forgiving she was. That was just one of the things he loved so much about her.

Reluctantly, they separated.

"I'll see ya next week!" Rachel beamed, hoping the casual nature would convince him that everything was okay.

"Yeah, can't wait!" Elektor beamed back. "See ya!"

As soon as the door to the studio closed, Rachel walked over to the driver's door of her car, put her head against the window, and gave it a light punch of frustration.

Knowing Elektor's door was open... completely open, unlike Espio's, whose she worried would be completely locked... It would be tempting.

Perhaps knowing he loved her was all it took. She knew she would tend to love people who loved her back...

...It was just the feeling of being loved, she told herself. That's all these feelings are! It has to be the only thing making your heart feel like this! He's not right for you!

...There it was. Suddenly, she was okay.

Just keep pursuing Espio, she told herself. As wrong as it may seem, he, at the moment, would be more likely to keep you happy if he liked you back... somehow...

* * *

 **Author's note: Let me know if you actually did want to see Chris Thorndyke x Sonic be discussed. If it has demand, I'll put it back on the docket.**

 **Author's casual discussion: You know, you** _ **read**_ **fanfics and books and whatnot and get feels. Of those of you who also write stuff... I want to know: Have you ever gotten emotional from what you were** _ **writing**_ **? Because this was a feels trip for me. I was also constantly debating what Rachel should have done. Whew...**

 **Author's casual discussion #2: I recently looked on Youtube to see if there were any fireplace videos with Christmas music in them. Turns out, there are many. Guess what'll be playing on my TV sometimes this season? I... think I'm already excited for Christmas. Shoot. I'm of the crowd that considers it the holidays after Halloween, but that's just me.**


	65. Episode 64 (Chris x Helen)

**Props: Thanks this week go to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Reaver 17 for the OCs and opinions. I'd like to give additional thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for next week's topic, to Reaver17 for proposing something that's going to liven up the plot a bit, and to all of you for putting up with my abominable behavior!**

 **And to Reaver17: One reason I was so excited to put your proposition into play was because it would raise some plot for another character as well. The introduction of Nicole's existence had a shockwave effect on my OC, too. Therefore, the end of the chapter is also pretty centered around her. If you'd like this to be returned to with less of my OC, I could do that. Just… this time… I had to do it this way.**

 **Reason for lateness, a.k.a. my desperate apology: I had written a good chunk of the episode last Friday. I went to continue working on it on a 3-hour drive to a wedding, and much to my dismay, I found that my tablet had gone dead, and Microsoft Word couldn't recover the document. I was so ticked off that I had to take the week off. My writer's sense is fresh again, so I can start over! The extra days are because I had to go to a party on Friday and didn't get home until 2 in the morning. Then, I fell asleep before I finished proofreading the next night. I AM SO SORRY for doing this to you all! I FEEL SO BAD!**

* * *

"I can't necessarily think of an anecdote this week," Rachel said to her audience as the cameras flipped on. "So I guess some life news could also nicely fit this spot. I got accepted to the two colleges I applied for!"

Almost like something was running her over, she felt nearly floored by the wealth of applause she got at this. She could even identify a few hoots and hollers along the lines of "Go, Rachel!" and whatnot.

"To be honest… if television had no barriers…" Rachel admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "Some of my friends and I played Cards Against Humanity last night. I'm sparing you from that, you realize. Welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave its hearty applause once again.

"So… let's begin with the reason you all couldn't come in last week!" said Rachel. "You heard someone used this place to hole up and create a standoff, right?"

It was true. She had been called and told not to even think about coming anywhere near the studio because some guy was using it to hide, and he was armed and dangerous.

Perhaps she remembered it so well because it was actually _Espio_ who gave her said call. So the Chaotix were arriving at crime scenes and throwing their ten cents in, huh? It was for this reason that she'd sometimes fret over the trio before she closed her eyes at night.

The situation was solved pretty quickly, but the studio was all taped off for investigation until the next Saturday, a.k.a. this night. The show's crew seriously jumped at the chance of airing the show again.

"So tonight!" Rachel beamed. "At long last. We're discussing the shipping of a couple of humans. This is the first shipping of its kind to be on the docket for our show! Chris Thorndyke and Helen, everyone! I can't really say too much because it's been literally years since I watched Sonic X. I need to see it again. From the little traces I do remember… wait… don't they actually end up together in some sort of future? I think they seem cute together! There's my bit! I think they're cute! We've got a couple of guests here tonight to give us their takes on it. And they both probably want to chew my head off because they had to wait another week to do so. They're probably itching to get on the stage… Thorn and Void!"

The audience welcomed the two individuals with their cheering as they found their seats.

"So, we're back!" Rachel sighed, finding her own seat. "At long freaking last, huh?"

"Yeah, seriously," Thorn replied. "Okay, so… Chris and Helen… Maybe with a bit more age. I actually think when Chris travels to Mobius, he was much older on Earth, so maybe they had hidden feelings for each other then? Or maybe Helen liked him, but he never really noticed? I don't know exactly, but that's just my little ten cents of things…"

"So… you're asking me if this will work…" Void added. "But I'm pretty sure it already has at this point."

He coughed. Rachel thought she could hear an "X" hastily whispered in the midst of said cough.

"But I guess I might as well state the obvious because you know how much I enjoy doing so," he continued. "Absolutely 100% yes!"

Rachel had to laugh a little to herself. "Resident dream crusher," eh?

"They are both constantly happy and friendly and caring," Void concluded. "And that's all I'm going to say before my friends start ironically calling me 'Cuddles' again."

Rachel found herself struggling to keep her mouth shut for a second. "Cuddles," huh? That word was sometimes one of the last to come to mind when Void was mentioned.

"I see," Rachel nodded. "So… it's essentially happening, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Void and Thorn glanced at each other before looking back at Rachel and nodding simultaneously.

"Well, that's good," she said, standing up and stretching a bit. "Helen's a better fit for him than… say… Sonic."

A mixture of two things (laughter and a unanimous "Yeah!") rose from the audience.

"Well, that's all we've got for tonight!" she continued. "Join us next week when… we launch me into a pit of oblivion that my guests are going to have to lift me out of. I know _neither_ of the people being discussed next week. Apparently, someone by the name of Enerjack and someone by the name of Lara-Su are shipped together. Next week, we're going to talk about them! See you all then!"

The cameras turned off, and it seemed as if Rachel was about to be another of those who were wandering on their own way.

Turns out, she'd run into a triple-decker emotion sandwich.

It started with the light, innocent, feminine voice that asked "E-Excuse me? Rachel?"

Rachel instantly turned around. The girl's voice shook, not as if anything bad had happened… but as if she was timid. Afraid to death of what she was doing. Without even seeing the girl's face, Rachel knew they both had that in common.

"Y-Yes?" Rachel replied, before laying eyes on the little hedgehog that was staring right at her.

It was sort of strange, actually. The girl was short… but fully-developed. A figure, a mature smile… Poor girl likely had the same fate as Fullmetal Alchemist's Edward Elric. She had a hairstyle quite similar to what Amy had _very_ early on. She had a darker purple fur and huge green eyes, and a short green dress.

"…If I may…" the girl continued, clasping her hands together in front of her. "…I-I… Your…"

Rachel couldn't help but sigh quietly. Poor soul…

"…One of the behind-the-scenes guys…" she said, her eyes lighting up after she managed to say it. "…I… He seems really cool."

"…Do you remember what he looks like?" Rachel asked, unconsciously putting on a calmer, motherly voice. "We've got many cool behind-the-scenes guys here."

"…He's a hedgehog," the girl continued, seeming to gain a little confidence, perhaps because of Rachel's calm demeanor. "Gray… yellow eyes…"

Elektor. The guy had a fan.

"I believe you're talking about our head producer, Elektor," Rachel answered.

The girl's eyes just lit up as Rachel said the name.

"That's him!" she beamed. "Ah, I've always wanted to meet him…" She then snapped into a frenzy of embarrassment. "B-But please don't tell him I said that!"

The girl's face was all red.

Welp… shove someone else into Elektor's door. Close it off to Rachel. That's what had to happen.

"I bet he'd be really happy to meet you!" Rachel giggled.

The girl's eyes went wider than Rachel thought possible.

"O-Oh…" she tried to protest, putting her hands up. "You don't have to do that if…"

"But if you wanna, I wanna," Rachel nodded. "He's one of the only sweet souls I've ever known. And he's got a fan! You're gonna make him humbled, I swear!"

The girl gave a quiet, sheepish laugh.

"…Hey…" Rachel said. "What's your name?"

"Metalla," the girl answered, smiling. "...I-I'm much older than I look, trust me. I'm 18."

"Ah, I have an idea of what you feel," Rachel nodded. "There's this anime I like, and one of the main characters is 15, but is constantly made to be a pipsqueak."

They both shared a laugh at this.

"…Hey…" Rachel said, half-tempted to hold out her hand. "Let's go meet Elektor."

"I just…" Metalla responded. "I don't want to bother him if he's busy."

"He'll be glad to take a break, trust me," Rachel reassured her. "Look, if he's mean to you… which he won't be… I'll beat him with a stick and give you a month's worth of free tickets to the show, alright?"

Metalla laughed.

"Alright," she said. "I'll hold you to that."

"It's a promise!" Rachel beamed, giving Metalla a thumbs-up.

Rachel didn't make promises very often.

They couldn't even take one step before Elektor's voice said from backstage, nearly in a shout, "Wait, what are you beating me with a stick for?!"

"If you're mean to your #1 fan!" Rachel shouted back.

"…Fan?" Elektor asked.

Instantly, his curious face poked through the curtain and set eyes on the two of them.

"Really?" Elektor marveled, emerging from back there and walking up to them.

Rachel took one look at Metalla, who was now a red-faced mess.

"Yeah," she said, restraining the urge to laugh. "…Metalla, see me after the show next week and give me your honest report, okay?"

She took a few steps toward the backstage area before turning around and eyeing Elektor.

"If you're mean to her," she threatened. "I beat you with a stick, and she gets a month of free tickets to the show. That's the promise I made to her."

She pointed two fingers at her eyes, then pointed them at Elektor, then walked away.

Elektor casually leaned against the railing they were by and looked at Metalla. Did she have… like a… crush on him or something?

"…H-Hi there," he greeted her, holding out a hand and smiling. "I'm Elektor."

Metalla excitedly shook his hand. Her night was already made.

Meanwhile, Rachel encountered the lettuce of the night's emotion sandwich when she caught sight of a certain other hedgehog sitting on the nearest couch. Silver was paying a visit! And… the lights on his shoes and gloves… Were they usually that bright?

"Hi, Rachel!" Silver beamed, shooting up from his spot, walking over to her, and wrapping her in one of those familiar warm embraces.

Rachel gave him a tight hug back and said "Hiya, Silver! How have you been?"

"Pretty great, thank you!" Silver smiled. "Halloween's on Monday! I'm handing out candy, and that's always fun!"

"Really? Me, too!" Rachel beamed. "I already went to a party yesterday. I was worrying that my friends were going to rope me into trick-or-treating, so knowing we've already had a party, I'm good!"

"You make it sound like it would have been a bad thing," said Silver.

"Most of what you get when trick-or-treating is chocolate, right?" Rachel explained. "I can't eat chocolate anymore. My issue gets worse with milk."

"Aww, really?" Silver sighed. "That's terrible."

The poor soul...

Rachel didn't necessarily notice it at the time… for some reason… but Silver just then noticed that he was still hugging her and let her go. Not so much by his own desire, but just to make sure she was comfortable.

Because of Silver's warmth, she hadn't noticed until now that there was a draft coming from somewhere. In a short time, Silver felt the same chill crawl down his back.

As it would turn out, someone had left the door to outside open.

"Oh, what the heck?" Rachel said without really thinking.

Silver chuckled.

"Must've been pretty important if they left the door open," he said.

"Well…" Rachel sighed to herself before setting off toward the door.

Halfway there, though, she heard Void's voice come from just outside the door, and it stopped her in her tracks.

Mostly because… he was _stuttering_. Like, NERVOUS stuttering. That was not a Void thing to do. At least, not to this degree.

She proceeded forward, stopping once more by the entryway, then hopping as stealthily as she could behind the open door.

She didn't see that Silver was giving her a really perplexed look and wondering just what was going on. He calmly walked to where she was, stood beside her, and looked out to see the same sight that she was seeing.

Void was leaning against the wall of the studio as if he was trying to act all cool for somebody. Why that was pieced itself together almost immediately for Rachel, if memory served her right.

For the somebody that was standing before Void, trying to figure out what had gotten into him, was _Nicole_.

"Are you sure you haven't seen him?" she asked Void. "White, echidna-like… Does it not ring a bell with you?"

"…N-No…" Void stammered, never giving up in his fight to keep his face from getting red. "…B-But…"

He then proceeded, like an idiot (or so he thought later), to try to pinch himself on the arm. This was a dream, this had to be a dream… Reality would never put Nicole right in front of him! Reality couldn't be so great!

"…I apologize for bothering you, then," Nicole said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh NO, you're not bothering me!" Void insisted, nearly giving in to the urge to grab her hand. "I… I'd…"

"You appear ill," Nicole commented, with a slightly more worried tone. "Are you alright, sir?"

In response to this, Silver had his head up against the door and was trying to hold back laughter like you wouldn't believe.

Rachel, on the other hand, gave a little bit of a chuckle… then proceeded to swallow her magnified sick feeling for the sixth time. She was processing something else from this scene.

"I'm fine," Void smiled, _finally_ seeming to have gotten his composure back. "Even better now…"

"That you're here" was going to finish that. Fortunately, Void got his brain back into his head.

"…You are an interesting character," Nicole noted with a smile.

That smile had relief coursing throughout Void like you would not BELIEVE. Either that, her smile was really pretty, or both.

This also left him trying to grasp for words.

Nicole then noticed that Silver and Rachel were standing there.

"You two," she asked. "Have you seen a man by the name of Dr. Finitevus? Appearance of a white echidna with various ornaments, obsidian-like eyes…"

"I've heard the name before," Rachel answered. "Unfortunately, I have not seen him. I'm sorry."

Who knew that used the last of her composure?

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him, either," said Silver.

"Okay," Nicole sighed, raising her wrist, which had a communicator watch. "Thank you anyway."

She turned and paced, rather quickly, away from the trio. As she did, she pressed a button and spoke.

"No sign of him at the Thoughts of the Unknown studio," she said. "Where shall I search next, over?"

Almost immediately, the watch responded in a deep voice. Well, of course, someone was speaking back to her through it.

"Return to our headquarters," the voice told her. "You've done well today. Let's regroup and figure out our next steps."

That was Espio's voice, wasn't it?

This was when something started to well up in Rachel's sinuses.

"Roger," Nicole said.

Not another word came from her until she was out of eyesight.

Void, meanwhile, turned to Silver. It would have been Rachel as well, if she hadn't walked toward her bag, which was sitting on one of the couches.

"Were you guys eavesdropping on us the entire time?!" Void snapped. "You could've ruined a perfect moment!"

"Look, we're sorry," Silver asserted. "If that's what you think, we're sorry, and we won't do it again."

"Whatever," Void huffed. "I'm outta here. It's fine, anyway: I'll see her again!"

Confident, Silver thought Void was. He even had a confident stride about him. Silver wished the best for him on his mission to get Nicole.

While Silver was catching this sight, Rachel was looking down at her bag and trying to pull herself together.

Nicole and Espio were working together.

 _Nicole existed in Espio's world._

Narcissists have superiority complexes, in which in a given situation, they are better than everyone else and most deserve whatever is at stake.

Rachel had what she called an _inferiority_ complex. If someone else wanted what she wanted, she felt there was no choice but to step aside and let them have it. Especially if the entity in question is a romantic interest.

As long as Nicole was a friend to Espio, she was a possible candidate for the one to fight life by his side.

She finally got a grasp on her bag… but just as soon, she almost lost it.

Her eyes were stinging. Crap… this wasn't good… No… No, she couldn't cry… Not now… She never cried, so if she cried now, anyone who was still here would be all over her. She _didn't need to become a blubbering mess anytime soon._

She thought about it, and she didn't even get why crying was about to happen.

This wasn't the first time the issue had plagued her mind. Usually, and sometimes when it attacked harder than it did now, putting on fake smiles was a natural talent. She'd just be a little quieter than usual, and nobody thought anything of it.

Why was she ABOUT TO CRY?! This was uncalled for! Inexcusable! It soon became more of an issue than the original issue.

Focusing a little more on herself, she thought she had her composure back. So she picked her bag up for sure and went to head for the door.

"Love and friendship of friends," someone had quoted of those two. He'd gone out of his way to comfort her when she was upset, too…

And just like that, her composure was not only out of her hands, but _disintegrated_. Or… at least, the chances of her getting it back were.

Rachel's lungs suddenly pulsed so that she took a shaky breath without intending to.

She momentarily looked at the door. Damnit, Silver was right there. Likely one of the _last_ people she needed to disturb with this.

She turned so that her back was to him, then leaned against the wall and planted her forehead in her hand. Come on, Silver… you can't stand there forever…

All of a sudden, Silver asked "Rachel?" Oh, dear… He hadn't cracked the code, had he?

She wanted to make the move. Bag's in hand! Dash around the corner, and you'll be outside and to your car! Come on! Make a run for it!

Let's see… Elektor wasn't right for her, Silver was taken by Blaze, and now, Espio was as good as taken… No love life available for her, huh…

She couldn't move. She had no capacity to so much as speak. All of her mental power was focused on getting those god-damn tears back into her eyes and off of her face… which she realized was failing majorly when she felt a tear run down her cheek.

She gave up. Silver was going to find out. Now, how to assuage him? To assure him that since he was going to be fine, everything would be okay?

Meanwhile, Silver had known that something was wrong at the sudden gasp that she had taken earlier.

She was… crying?!

He exclaimed her name and dashed over in front of her.

Tears were running down her face.

He felt every chamber of his heart shatter into pieces.

"Hey!" he cried.

She didn't move an inch. Just continued to stare down at the ground with agonized eyes. In response to his voice, she might have given an almost silent wince, but… not much else.

She was trying to hide it. She was the type to try to hide her emotions, wasn't she?

What the hell could have caused this… this horrible event?!

"What's wrong?" he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Come on, you can tell me, right? I want to see you happy!"

He hadn't necessarily planned that last part... but it was true, so he let it be.

In response to his concern, she shut her eyes really tightly, allowing for a few more tears to escape.

She took a breath.

"…I-It's stupid…" she responded.

Could it have really been so stupid if it made her cry?

"I dunno about that," Silver responded. "I personally think it's pretty serious. I've never seen you cry before… and honestly, I hoped I never would."

"I-I'm sorry!" Rachel freaked, going to escape from Silver's grasp.

He only tightened said grasp.

"Being in pain is nothing to be sorry about," he said, his own voice starting to quiver a bit. "…Can we talk about it?"

Rachel swallowed another sick ball of something and was able to look into Silver's eyes.

"…It's about my love life," she admitted.

At this, Silver felt something shoot through his nerves. A connection of some sort?

"Do you really want me to go into that?" Rachel asked.

"…I won't make you say anything you don't want to," Silver assured her. "…But… Rachel, at the very least… can I hug you? Like, for a while?"

Rachel gasped, not out of sadness this time, but shock… like gasps were supposed to be made for. He really wanted to… while she was like this?

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I'm a mess."

"You're no mess in my eyes," Silver answered, shaking his head. "You're _in_ a mess. There's a difference."

Rachel opened her mouth to give her desperate, honest answer of "Please do" … but then, she realized that being so close to him, and remembering his being shipped with Blaze, wouldn't solve a thing.

Breaking the silence her thinking created, Silver added "I don't have to know what's wrong. What I do have to see, though, is that you're happy."

Rachel looked at him again. She knew he was sweet… but she still didn't quite get it.

Well… time to be selfish for once.

"…Yeah," she nodded. "If you really want to."

"Yeah, I do," Silver asserted once more.

And soon, they were both on the nearest couch, holding onto each other as tightly as they could.

"Are there tissues around here?" asked Rachel. "I don't really want to get my face fluids all over you."

Silver looked around, then sighed, realizing that there was really only one place with something like that… and he'd have to get up.

"I could get something from the bathroom," he answered. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Rachel nodded… already feeling a little better.

Soon, with Rachel holding some paper towels… they were back in each other's arms.

And Rachel could truly realize that _it felt amazing_. Silver's chest was like a pillow, his arms like the wooliest, yet most secure blanket ever made, and the hand that occasionally went over her hair like a massage to the spirit. His care was like medicine for a broken heart.

Meanwhile, it was a roller coaster ride for Silver. Mainly, he was just hoping his hardest that she would, perhaps, give him a real smile. It wasn't that he wanted to leave her embrace or anything, though. This brought him a momentary mental ordeal.

Somewhere near the end of her agony, he was jolted back to reality when he suddenly realized that he practically had his muzzle, including his lips, pressed against her forehead.

If it wasn't for the fact that it would have sent a certain message entirely too soon, though… it wouldn't have fazed him.

Much to his relief, he eventually looked down to realize that Rachel had a smile on her face. This shot his spirits to the heavens.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"…Beautifully," Rachel told him. "I… I think I'm better now."

"Would you like me to let you go?" he asked.

"…Before you do…" Rachel replied.

She gave him a final tight squeeze.

"I could never thank you enough for being here for me," she said. "Seriously. How could I repay you?"

"Keep being my friend?" Silver replied. "But seriously, don't worry about it. If you ever need comfort… _ever_ … it's always available from me."

At this, the door to the studio was shoved open by some sort of force.

Said force turned out to be a disgruntled Void.

"Got all the way back, then realized I left important keys here," he grumbled, scanning the table by the door, then scanning the couch area.

Subsequently, of course, his eyes fell on Silver and Rachel.

A grin unfurled to life on his face.

"I saw you laughing earlier, Silver," he said. "And now, I walk in to see you cuddlin' with your girlfriend!"

The duo realized they were still in a tight embrace and quickly scrambled some inches away from each other.

"I'm not letting you walk out of here with the wrong impression," Rachel snapped. "I am not that to him. Nada."

"We're… not a thing," Silver added.

Silver automatically had a weaker argument because of the color of his face. Had "tomato" written all over it.

"Honestly, you and Nicole, though…" Rachel commented. "I ship it!"

She shipped it. For one, the obvious reason she'd just spent twenty minutes crying over, and for two, the fact that she liked seeing her friends find love with the ones they loved.

Of course, this comment had Void all flustered.

"I-I DON'T like her like that, okay?!" he nearly shouted.

"Oh, yeah, no," Rachel continued, barely being able to contain laughter. "No, the reason Thoughts of the Unknown's Resident Dream Crusher was caught stumbling on his words and _trying_ to leave a good impression on someone… who he has called CUTE on the show… TOTALLY wasn't because he liked her. No, not at all!"

She felt a sense of triumph when she heard that Silver had erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Seriously, we're all here for you," she said. "We can help you!"

"…Thanks, I guess…" Void grumbled. "Now, can you guys help me find my keys?"

That was a weird night.

* * *

 **Author's note: If you think my OC got really weak here... I'd agree with you. It's just that I based this off the fact that there was a recent event that had me in tears when I thought I was fine. The last two times I've cried, it was like that: I'm fine, right? NOPE! TEARS!**


	66. Episode 65 (Enerjak x Lara-Su)

**Props: Thanks to Reaver17 for the OC and opinion, and the feedback! All of that stuff is what keeps me going!**

 **Reason for lateness: Late start. Pretty much.**

* * *

The cameraman pointed to Rachel, and the show was underway.

"Have you ever messed up a recipe so badly that when you tried it again and nailed it, you were legitimately proud of yourself for the rest of the day?" she began.

Some of the audience laughed. She heard a few "Yeah" shouts as well.

"That was me with some chicken-flavored rice yesterday," she chuckled. "Felt like I deserved an award that had 'You realized your mistake!' engraved in it. Pretty simple, I just had it simmering over too much heat last time. Anyway, welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience set off into an excited applause.

"This week, I am completely oblivious," Rachel shrugged. "Someone named Enerjak and someone named Lara-Su are paired together, and here we are. I have no opinion, for I have not a clue about either of them. Therefore, this episode belongs to our guest for tonight. Please welcome back to the stage… Void!"

The audience gave Void their heartiest claps and cheers as he made his way to his famously deformed seat.

"Great to see you again, Void!" Rachel waved, finding her own seat. "…I'm stupid. I'm clueless. Enerjak and Lara Su, Void. The stage is yours."

"Why, thank you," Void said, bowing a bit in his seat. "…Knuckles's daughter and Enerjak?"

"See, already!" Rachel interrupted. "That's Knuckles's DAUGHTER?!"

"Well, yeah," Void grinned a bit. "Now… this is just weird on so many levels, so bear with me."

He held up a finger as he said that. A true presenter. Time to sit back and watch this feature presentation.

"First of all, Enerjak isn't technically even a person," said Void. "He's an avatar of Chaos energy. Some unnamed ancient echidna scientist had an accident in his lab trying to harness the Master Emerald as a power source and was essentially electrocuted by it."

So professional. He really knew his stuff. Rachel just had to smile to herself as she wished Nicole could have been here now.

"The energy fused with him and he became a god, or at least pretty dang close," Void continued. "He WAS Chaos in itself. Now, this 'god' was understandably quite unstable. He quickly developed the urge to conquer all of Mobius, and he damn near did it, too. He gathered followers behind him. Anyone who wasn't personally dealt with was crushed by his personal army."

He shuddered a bit.

"Dad would have loved him. Eventually, through lost events, Enerjak was defeated and reduced to nothing… almost. His physical body was gone, but the energy was still there. Three more Enerjaks have risen, one unknown, but the last two were Dimitri and Knuckles, both of whom are related."

Rachel could barely believe her ears. So that red, bumbling idiot was actually a potential god?

"Now, whether through accident or intent," Void continued. "Every Enerjak has been immediately obsessed with creating their own kingdom and crushing all in their path. Enerjak is always an echidna."

"If I may…" Rachel interrupted. "…You mean to tell me that Enerjak isn't just one entity, right?"

"…That's not necessarily true," said Void. "While he is active, whoever the person was before the change ceases to exist until he is banished. When they come back, they experience all the time that passed and grow old all at once, which is why Dimitri is currently a floating cyborg brain with dreadlocks."

Yikes. That sounded painful.

"So he's more like a demon who possesses these certain individuals?" Rachel asked.

"I suppose it could be put that way," Void shrugged. "So even if all of that bloodthirsty nature and the massive superiority complex was taken away, there is a chance Enerjak would be directly related to Lara-Su, which is something even aliens would find beyond gross."

He shook as he said that final part, giving Rachel the urge to laugh.

"I'm not even gonna look at Lara too closely because it doesn't matter who you pair 'it' with," Void concluded. "Enerjak is not something you would fall in love with. Then again, I haven't had the pleasure of becoming him, so you better ask Knuckles or Dimitri what Enerjak thinks about."

"…If I ever become friends with Knuckles, I might just do that," Rachel said. "Thank you so much for that, Void. I haven't been that absorbed in someone's backstory in a long time."

"You're most welcome," Void replied.

Rachel stood.

"I assume I'm not the only one who's really learned a thing or two tonight," she said. "…Dang, now that I think about it… Enerjak would make a nice scare on Halloween. This topic might have been brought up a week too late!"

As the audience laughed, she muttered "Damn it…" under her breath.

"So next week!" she addressed everyone else again. "…Hmm… I don't really know too much about these two, either. A couple of pranksters, aren't they? Sleet and Dingo? You tell me, next week!"

The cameras shut off, the audience left, and Rachel went backstage.

Almost immediately running into Metalla. Rachel almost wondered what she was doing back here.

"Give me your honest report!" Rachel had told her the previous week. That's right!

"Hey there!" Rachel beamed.

"Hey, Rachel!" Metalla chirped.

"So…" Rachel smiled. "How did it go?"

"Wonderfully," Metalla sighed dreamily. "We got to talking, and we really hit it off! He's so sweet!"

"Isn't he?" Rachel laughed.

"He's so cute and squishy!" Metalla chuckled. "He invited me to hang out with him after the show tonight!"

From behind Elektor's door, Elektor's voice called "That, I did!"

At this, Metalla became that familiar blushing, worried soul. Rachel lost her control and let out a few good laughs.

Elektor stepped out and looked rather gleeful. At least, compared to what he usually looked.

"Come on," he told Metalla. "My office is this way."

At that, he walked back toward said office. Metalla followed him, and soon, they'd disappeared.

…Hold up… She just couldn't shake a certain looming feeling.

"'EY!" Rachel shouted. "You'd best not be fooling around in there!"

"What the… NO!" Elektor shouted back.

This launched Rachel into a louder fit of laughter. She soon heard that the hedgehogs in the office were laughing as well.

"You can trust me on that!" Elektor responded.

Rachel could also trust that in the hallway of love, she could keep Elektor's door firmly shut. It was sort of a relief.

She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. It nearly made her jump out of her skin.

It was Void, the Resident Dream Crusher.

"Hey there!" she waved to him.

"Hi," Void sighed.

"Something up?" Rachel asked, tilting her head a bit.

"…You know my secret now," Void explained. "As punishment, you're helping me make the dream come to fruition."

"Ah, you know me," Rachel smiled, leaning against one of the couches. "You're talking to the Resident Shipper! And… besides… I'm not sure yet, but this might be a team effort that yields a result for me, too."

"Whatever do you mean by that?" asked Void.

"…People ship…" she said, then stopped herself.

Too late. Void had that trademark grin on his face.

"I knew what you were going to say," he said, seeming as if he was about to cackle. "You like Espio, don't 'cha?"

"You're clever," Rachel nodded, pointing to him. "With Espio and Nicole, the compatibility is just _radiant_ … and if you couldn't tell, I was in tears last week. That's why."

"…I was actually just going to ask you if you'd seen Nicole again since last week," Void shrugged. "But now that you mention it, that shipping really does bite at my patience…"

"Does it?" asked Rachel.

"If you can't tell," said Void. "I'm not a huge fan of that purple, invisible rat."

"…Well, I'm not a huge fan of that hologram with a dress," Rachel smirked. "There's some connections between what you and I are striving for, eh? If Nicole's heart was stolen by you, it'd help both of us. Don't you see?"

"…If you steal the ninja's heart," Void said. "That would also be a huge help to the both of us."

"I dunno," Rachel shrugged. "It's just kinda funny. You like Nicole and dislike Espio as a result. I like Espio and really do not appreciate Nicole as a result. If one of our dreams came true, the other would be helped as a result."

She picked up her bag from the couch.

"Go get 'er," she smiled.

"Plan on it," Void nodded. "And, er… good luck to you, too!"

"Thanks!" Rachel smiled. "I'll see ya later!"

She walked out.

Now that she really thought about it, she wished she could see Espio. Was it the charm in his slick smile? Was it his mysterious silence? Was it his wisdom? That ice-melting voice? His grace?

Was it the fact that his door in the hallway of love was the best to head toward at this point?

It sucked she didn't think she was enough of a friend to just go visit them. Ah, well… If she worked at it, those days would come eventually.

* * *

 **To Reaver17: I tried to keep Void in character the best I could. I'm sorry if he seemed a bit out-of-character here.**


	67. Episode 66 (Sleet x Dingo)

**Props: My thanks this week go out to Reaver17, the one known as WBLNC (a.k.a. Waffles), and Hedgehogwriter07 for the OCs and opinions. And thank you to the one known as Dreadwing216 for next week's topic! And my biggest thanks to each and every one of you for putting up with me!**

 **Reason for lateness: I had a scholarship competition that kept me on the** _ **literal**_ **other side of the state until yesterday. We did end up in a hotel with wi-fi on Friday, but my mind was so bushed by the time we got there. And all of Saturday, I was busy. I'm home and writing now!**

* * *

*Thoughts of the Unknown studio*

As the camera flipped on, Rachel's anecdote for the week came to her and made her smirk.

"So…" she said, on the verge of chuckling. "…Has anyone ever seen two flies going at it? Like, in person?"

A thunder-like murmur of laughter, however quiet, rolled throughout the audience.

"I was at a cookout for one of my niece's friends a few years back," Rachel elaborated. "I was sitting at a table, listening to everyone laughing and having a good time… waiting for something cool to happen… when my eyes just so happened to be on the table. For a split second, a pair of flies landed there. And one of them was climbing onto the other's back. Because he was totally getting a piggyback ride."

Another burst of laughter came from the audience, this one a bit louder.

"Now, here's what I want to know," Rachel added. "How do you mate in mid-air? Is there some fly version of the Mile-High Club? Those flies and the children being made there are probably part of the soil now… Welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave many claps in tribute to her little tale.

"So tonight, we're addressing a pair of pranksters," she began. "I have only a rough idea about who one of them is. Could the laughs they share through their charades bring them closer together? Sleet and Dingo. Could they be? We've got three guests here tonight to give their predictions. Welcome back to the stage excitedly… Void, Thorn, and Sarah!"

Rachel could notice a definite spike in the energy of the audience's applause as the guests made their ways out. Thorn and Sarah hadn't walked this stage in a while. Of course, this was a happy reunion!

"Heyo!" Rachel beamed, finding her own seat. "Thorn! Sarah! Welcome back!"

"Thank you!" both Thorn and Sarah said in unison.

"…And Void," Rachel laughed. "It's always great to see you, too." It was just instinct for her to make sure nobody felt left out.

"...Well, thank you," Void nodded.

"So…" Rachel said, a laugh forming on her lips. "If I remember, your reactions to the announcement of this topic pretty much answered the question. Could Sleet and Dingo find themselves taking one of Cupid's pranks seriously?"

Void snorted in amusement.

"Sleet and Dingo?" he said. "The partners in idiocy! Why not?"

He paused, just long enough to make everyone wonder.

"Because it's absolutely absurd, that's why not," he said, in something akin to a loud grumble. "You know my opinion on Sleet already. I pity Dingo for his lack of IQ, but that's it. Sleet is more self-superior than any of the Egghead's goons. Dingo is hardly worthy of cleaning his boots as far as he is concerned. Sleet's the 'Brains,' and Dingo's just the convenient muscle. I wouldn't be surprised if Sleet walked away whistling if Dingo was bleeding out in the dirt."

So much for love! Off Void's conjecture alone, she wondered what they were even doing as a team!

"Of all the ships we've gone through on this show," Thorn explained. "This is probably one of the worst. First off, Sleet treats Dingo like trash. I watched Sonic Underground recently, and it's obvious in the 2nd or 3rd episode that Sleet would really prefer a better partner. These two have a rocky relationship as partners, but as lovers? No way."

"Sleet… and Dingo?" said Sarah.

She threw her arms up in defeat.

"Okay, that's it, I'm done," she huffed. "Are you people for real? Who comes up with these shippings?"

"Living, breathing people," Void replied, almost sort of sickened by the answer.

"Yep, we're for real," Rachel sighed. "This is one I found on an active search, not a suggestion."

"Sleet and Dingo," Sarah continued. "They're more of those 'I'm the smart one and you're the dumb one' relationships. I don't see this as a shipping. Nuh-uh, no way."

"So I see that our views on this are unanimous," Rachel said, standing from her seat. "Friendship seems like a pipe dream here, let alone love."

"Well, they managed to be partners for this long," Thorn shrugged. "Somehow."

"Guess so," said Rachel. "So, next week… I think this is another one of those that's come to fruition. Right? We delve back into the Boom-verse and steal Zooey for a hot minute, because Tails and Zooey have been put together! And we're going to talk about it! See you all then!"

The cameras flipped off, and the crowd of people in the audience slowly flooded out.

Rachel walked backstage, immediately grabbing her bag and heading for the door.

"Hey, Rachel!" a female voice called to her.

Rachel quickly spun around, meeting Metalla's excited gaze. That was amazing. The first moment they met, Metalla looked as if she just wanted to melt into the floorboards and never look up. In just a week, she was a confident Mobian being, with that verge of melting nowhere to be seen.

When she put it into brain words and pieced it together, Rachel officially shipped Elektor and Metalla.

In a world where Cupid had everyone lined up just as she wanted it… one scene would see Elektor kissing Metalla on the cheek, Silver and Blaze twirling the night away on the nearby dance floor, Void and Nicole sharing one sparkling drink and locating each other's souls with their stares, and Rachel, herself, in Espio's warm and safe embrace, where she'd join him in smiling until the face was close to breaking.

A perfect world. So perfect that she found herself lost in it, which she learned once she remembered that the backstage had orange couches. And that Metalla wasn't being kissed by Elektor, but was waiting for her to come back to reality.

"H-Hey," Rachel laughed a bit.

"You're in a hurry," Metalla commented. "Going somewhere?"

"3 hours away," Rachel sighed. "I'm competing to get 4 years of free college."

"Woah, seriously?!" Metalla marveled. "I'll let you go! Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" said Rachel, picking up her bag and heading for the door. "I'll see ya!"

She had this urge to wish her good luck with Elektor. That would have been a bit much, so she was glad she shut herself up.

…What if Espio knew she'd been accepted to this university and personally invited to compete for this? How would that feel? Would he be proud?

She wished he knew.

…He loved her writing work! There was that! The reminder brought relief to her blood.

But with how long it'd been since they'd seen each other… What if he forgot?

…What if he forgot about her?!

And that's the series of processes that made Rachel's heart heavy, then normal, then heavy again in the course of about 100 feet.

*Chaotix Detective Agency*

Vector hadn't expected that to happen. He was sitting here, watching Thoughts of the Unknown. Routine.

Then, Nicole, who was visiting, sat down next to him and started staring at the TV as if she was a dog, and a cat was walking across the screen.

"…Who's that?" she said, pointing at the screen when the camera was just on Void.

"That's Void," Vector told her. "He's made himself out to be the Resident Dream Crusher."

"What gave him that name?" asked Nicole.

"Because he often doesn't have a lot of good things to say about most shippings," he said.

"Shippings?" asked Nicole.

She didn't know what those were? He was sure Charmy would have said something about that around her by now.

"Are there two people who you wish would date?" he explained. "That's when you ship two people."

"I never really paid attention," said Nicole.

"Ah," he nodded, looking back at the screen.

But then, he thought of something genius. Something Nicole could help him and Charmy tease Espio about.

"For instance…" Vector smirked. "…See that girl with the glasses and the black clothes?"

"…The fox?" asked Nicole.

"Yeah," he smiled. "She's the leader of the show. And you know what? I think she and Espio are pretty dang cute together. So I ship them. That's a shipping."

"Ah, I see," Nicole nodded, getting a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Charmy was just behind the nearest door. He heard it all, was instantly reminded of the dirt everyone had on Espio… and got the idea for how he could finally get Espio to do something with him.

"'Ey, Espiooo!" Charmy sang as he flew back to Espio's bedroom door.

No answer.

Charmy knocked on the door precisely thrice.

Still no answer.

"Will you play with me nooow?" Charmy asked.

Finally, Espio's voice, muffled by the door, snapped "Nothing's changed, Charmy. I'm busy!"

Charmy lost hold of the urge to laugh. Oh, the look on his face was going to tell everything!

He lost track of time as he continued laughing, making Espio ask "…What? Why are you laughing at me?"

Charmy felt like an evil king. This exact power was one he had over Vector because of his thing for Vanilla. He never would have guessed he'd be able to do the same sort of thing with Espio, too!

"Ah, nothing," Charmy said. "'Cept if you don't play with me, I'm gonna ask Vector for Thoughts of the Unknown's number, and I'm gonna tell Rachel that you were mean to me!"

Charmy proceeded to laugh even more loudly. And Vector, who heard the entire thing from the living room, walked to where Charmy was and laughed right along.

They didn't even scoff at the fact that an opaque white door was the only thing hiding a reddening, stuttering Espio, who nearly dropped the kunai he was cleaning and wondered how the hell Charmy found out he had that type of power.

…No, how did Charmy _think_ he had that power? How did Charmy find out that he liked- No, what _gave Charmy the impression_ that he liked Rachel?!

Was he actually going to do it?! Crap… It wouldn't be the first time. He'd done it to Vector on numerous sunlit occasions, earning the crocodile an earful from Vanilla every time. It was a powerful weapon.

Albeit steaming, Espio cast the door aside and glared up at Charmy, who glared back down at him in mid-air, with his arms crossed. Then, he looked to Vector, who smirked at him.

His eye twitched.

"So what'll it be, ninja butt?" asked Charmy. "Catch? Mario Kart?"

"How about Death Tag?" Vector asked, taking a step back. "I think Espio wants you dead now."

Vector hadn't said anything more correct all day.

"Ah, he couldn't kill me," Charmy smirked. "He'd go to jail for murder, and Rachel could probably never look in his direction again!"

"To be fair, I don't think I would, either…" Vector shrugged.

"Why do you keep bringing Rachel up?" Espio grumbled. "I don't like her like that!"

He was lying through his teeth, and his face gave that away really quickly.

"Oh my God, dude," Vector laughed. "That's a huge lie. The real question is why we don't bring her up more often."

Espio realized that his blood was starting to bubble, so he took a deep breath and could resist the urge to wring Charmy's neck.

"Vector, why don't you go play with him?" he asked. "You've got nothing on your plate right now."

"Hey, yeah!" Charmy exclaimed. "I've always wanted to play Mario Kart with three players!"

Vector and Espio gave a simultaneous sigh. They then looked at each other and shrugged.

So be it, Espio thought. Vector needed a few butt-kickings anyway.

The strange thing? Nicole, who was still in the living room, barely even knew that all of that was going down. Her eyes weren't blinking, and Thoughts of the Unknown's banter was all she could hear.

…And why was this Void so calm and collected as compared to the one she'd met the first time? The mystery was… enthralling. His voice rode every word and gave it a velvety feel. When he was done speaking and everyone else gave their two cents, she was silently rooting for him to say something again. Get these other fools off the stage.

And as the show eventually came to an end, that calm and collected alien was all she could remember about it.

This bugged her. She had to do a bit of experimenting.


	68. Episode 67 (Tails x Zooey)

**Props: Thank you, Reaver17, for providing your OC and opinion and allowing this to revive itself. I got seriously scared there for a while.**

 **Reasons for lateness: The 2-week hiatus was because I LITERALLY had nothing to go off of. Nobody had gotten back with me. Now, hopefully, y'all realize your importance in this equation. The extra day was because I ended up emotionally and physically exhausted by the time I had the time to write. I feel bad about that!**

* * *

Elektor was on the phone with a colleague at the time, but he noticed it.

The show's one eager guest, Void, didn't say anything, but definitely saw it.

Even some of the stage crew were tempted to hop down and say something, but they ultimately decided against it.

They noticed it.

Rachel had an eerie sense of silence about her.

They all expected this to carry over when the cameras and lights looked to her. But as the show went on the air, she assumed her usual position as the show's bubbly host. It was almost unsettling.

"Hey, y'all!" she beamed. "Hey, I really missed it here!"

The audience gave another hearty cheer of praise.

"Yeah, seriously," Rachel nodded. "And I want to make it clear: This show thrives on fan input. The only reason this studio's been abandoned for two weeks is because we had none of that. Nobody replied. So I want to make it clear how important you all are to this. Without you, as you could clearly tell, the show literally could not run. Are we clear? Great!"

The audience replied with a murmur of understanding.

"…In other news, I came here right from a holiday tradition of mine," said Rachel. "That historic train station near where I live always has a nice little ceremony where they turn on lights that were left there after a movie was shot there. They always have some live music, delicious treats, and a raffle. I was ONE number off from winning some flowers."

The audience gave a few hearty chuckles here.

"Ah, well," Rachel shrugged. "That's the most luck I've ever had there! Welcome, after so long, back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Rachel was almost convinced that the subsequent cheers would blow the walls off.

"Thank you all so much for being here!" she smiled, surprisingly. "Tonight, we're discussing a shipping that's… pretty much canon, right? Doesn't Tails develop a bit of a crush on Zooey in Sonic Boom? I thought that's what I heard. I haven't actually seen the show, and I know I should get on it. Void, help me out here!"

The audience gave Void a hearty welcome as he pushed the curtain aside and waved on the way to his artistically deformed seat.

"Hi, Void!" Rachel waved to him, finding her own seat.

"Hey, sorry about all that!" Void replied. "I could have sworn I placed a call confirming my presence, but then I remembered that the line had been busy, so I said 'Oh, I'll do it tomorrow.' It totally escaped me."

"That's alright," Rachel nodded. "So… help me here. Tails and Zooey. What's the deal?"

"Zooey, I believe, was some obscure one-time love interest for Tails in one episode," Void explained.

"Wait, one episode?" Rachel asked. "It was that quick?"

"Yup," Void laughed a bit. "Given what little we know… well, I don't see why not. She seems nice enough, plus it's pretty rational. The only other related shipping I can think of that's rational is with Fiona. Then again, if you combine their names together, it spells Fails, so probably not…"

Some of the audience, and Rachel, got a kick out of that.

"But I actually think this would work rather nicely," Void nodded. "Think it's about time he got shipped with someone normal."

"Normal, huh?" said Rachel, standing up. "Huh."

She faced the camera.

"I'll be going off of that until I actually start watching the show," she said. "I was going to watch it last month in that hotel before heading for that thing, but… we had to leave. To the Internet!"

The audience found this to be comedic, too.

"So, fun fact," said Rachel. "This is the last time you'll see me as a 17-year-old! If all works out properly… the next episode will actually be on my birthday! Huh, what a way to celebrate becoming a legal adult, huh?"

The audience seemed pretty happy about this, as applause and cheers waved throughout the room.

"So what shall be the topic on that special night?" Rachel pondered. "Huh… Oh, that's right! This oughta be kinda interesting! I personally don't like to think of Nicole as an AI, to preface this. She seems to have feelings that she controls herself. Therefore, I wholeheartedly believe that she's just as real as the rest of us."

Void found himself smiling as he heard this. Wait… he was smiling like an absolute idiot! Stop that, face!

"That being said…" Rachel continued. "I do notice the possible reason why someone paired her with Metal Sonic. So… are they cool? Anything's possible, folks! Or not? I'll meet you all back here on a birthtastic Friday… hopefully!"

* * *

 **Author's note: YES, that is my actual birthday I'm so casually referencing. If the chapter is late, it may be because of the party. Just warning you beautiful souls.**


	69. Episode 68 (Metal Sonic x Nicole)

**Props: Thank you so much, Reaver17, for the OC and opinion! Thank you as well for everything else you had to say! It means a whole lot to me knowing that I'm actually making an impact on someone. It makes me feel as if I'm… worth something, you know?**

 **Reason for lateness: It was exactly as you and I expected: My party was a boatload of fun, but I ended up passing out as soon as everyone went home... which wasn't until about 11pm, anyway.**

* * *

"Hello there, guys!" Rachel smiled and waved to the audience when the cameras went on.

The audience applauded almost immediately. Huh… that was strange…

"So, tonight," she continued. "We talk about a shipping some closed-minded people may consider a couple of robots. Nicole, who I think is just as real as all of us, and Metal Sonic. They've been shipped together."

She opened her mouth to say the next thing, but caught sight of the cameraman's frantic waving. He was staring at her and motioning toward the audience, both shutting her up and getting her to take notice of the quite familiar moose standing in the audience. A stage crew member by the name of Paco, an orange-red hedgehog of considerable size, was standing by him, having just handed him a microphone. Rachel didn't know how familiar this moose really was, though, until he spoke.

"Hey there, Rachel!" he said. "Would you, er, happen to remember me at all?"

"…You know, you seem familiar," Rachel nodded.

"It's me, Meefo!" the moose cheered. "You told me about that one odd Sonic 06 request you got!"

"Ah, that's right!" Rachel realized aloud. "Hey, it's great to see you again!"

"You spoke to me on my birthday, and I couldn't have felt more honored," Meefo smiled. "So… I'm no celebrity like you are, but I'm putting my entire heart into it when I say… happy birthday, Rachel!"

The audience then gave an especially enthusiastic applause, accented with a few other shouts of "Happy birthday!".

Rachel, usually the level-headed one who refused to get emotional, felt her eyes widen and her heart start to speed up in pace. This was so sweet! She wasn't ready for this!

"Oh, thank you, Meefo!" she responded, in a voice of notably higher pitch. "Thank you all! I wasn't prepared to be exposed to such sweetness!"

Suddenly, Paco spoke up.

"You're doing something nice for yourself tonight, right?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Rachel nodded. "After this, I'm due for a bowling party with some of my friends!"

"Well, that's swell!" Paco replied with a thumbs-up.

"Well, thank you all again," Rachel smiled. "I seriously appreciate it! So tonight… Metal Sonic and Nicole. I really don't see this, if only because Metal Sonic is essentially soulless, at least compared to Nicole. There's also the fact that their morals are complete opposites, with Nicole helping the Freedom Fighters and being all nice (at least from what I heard), and Metal Sonic being an epitome of soulless evil. I see why someone connected the dots, but in my opinion, it's not a pretty picture. Let's see if my guest may think otherwise! Please welcome back to stage, as warmly as a Christmas fireplace… Void!

The audience gave their usual warm applause as Void emerged from the curtain and took his place at his famous seat.

"Happy birthday!" he said before Rachel could even sit down.

"Why, thank you!" Rachel beamed, taking her seat. "So... potentially on to a bleaker note... these two... Are their lives electric with each other, or has the fuse shorted out before it's even been used?"

She suddenly noticed that Void has his tail near his face and was chewing on his tail spike. She knew her face was spelling "This is strange."

He quit chewing and cleared his throat.

"Right, so Nicole and Metal Sonic," he said. "Okay... I'm going to be painfully technical and ask... which one exactly?"

Wait, which one? Rachel felt so put on the spot. At least, until Void continued explaining.

"I mean, cause if we're talking about straight-up Metal Sonic," he elaborated. "Then I'm going to say no."

"That's who we're talking about, I'm pretty sure," Rachel nodded. "The one who kidnapped Amy so long ago."

"We could also have been talking about Shard," said Void. "I'd say yes there. Well, we all know how I love being a know-it-all, so I'll talk about both."

The audience was all face. That is, all eyes and ears.

"So," Void explained. "Mr. Metal Doom and Destruction is just an absolute NO. Not only is he, well, EVIL, but he's kind of tried to kill the entire planet more times than I di- USED to do..."

Well, that was interesting. We've got a potential terrorist onstage, thought Rachel.

"He hates everyone and everything because they're 'inferior,'" Void went on, actually using air quotes. "And like most killer robots, he follows Baldy McNosehair's command, except he doesn't even do THAT most of the time, which I kind of get."

Rachel laughed as she was reminded of that nickname for Eggman. Her first sight of it had cracked her right up like an egg.

"He has the unfortunate habit of overthrowing Eggman whenever his AI gets too big for its loyalty parameters, or something computer-ish like that," Void informed. "Which inevitably leads to his transformation into his giant planet-blasting dinosaur... monster form... thing..."

Geez... It all reminded Rachel of a certain Game Boy Advance game she loved as a child. Robots not obeying their master (a certain small creature) because a certain switch was in the wrong position, a certain other sea creature fixing it all... It was weird.

"Then, he tries to destroy us all," Void went on. "Then Sonic or Shadow or whoever stops him and blows him to bits. I hardly think Miss Nicole would agree with that, soooo..."

Rachel wondered if it was just her, or if Void slowly went from sophisticated to getting the info over with. Musta just been her. Everything was.

"But then there's Chrome Dome's new rehabilitated/enlightened form called Shard," said Void. "He's got a sarcastic attitude, a value for life, and a frankly way cooler black and gold paint job."

He had to be kidding her... Shard was another form of Metal Sonic? Welp, there's no birthday gift that has the exact nature of knowledge.

"He's actually related quite well with Nicole in the past," said Void. "And..."

Void muttered something under his breath. Something along the lines of "unfortunately..."

"He seems to be a good friend of hers," Void continued, in a normal voice, yet noticeably pinched by something. "He enjoys chess games with her in their spare time..."

Rachel did hope Void could realize his dream of having a chance with Nicole, but... she had to admit, that seemed pretty cute.

"So yeah," Void said. "I'm actually sure with my..."

He muttered something along the lines of "mostly..."

"...Unbiased opinion..." he concluded. "...That it could work, all of this not even taking into account the similar societal situations they both have being AIs, but I have a rule against counting people with senses of humor and personalities as robots, so more power to the pair of them."

...What kind of bad taste did that have to leave in his mouth, you think?

"Thank you for your input," Rachel replied. "I actually didn't know that! So Shard is like a different version of Metal Sonic?"

Void nodded.

"He sounds really cool," Rachel commented, standing up. "Maybe I'd like to meet him sometime."

As Rachel looked to the camera, Void just shrugged a bit to himself.

"That's all we've got for tonight!" Rachel said. "Join us next week... Ah, look at this! Nicole's still on the docket!"

Void wasn't sure whether to be on the edge of his seat or punch said seat and walk out.

"She's also been shipped with Emerl, a robot who's... more innocent?" Rachel went on. "I think? I haven't seen anything of him in years. Ah, well. I'll hopefully have some guests to help me out on that! I'll see you all then!"

As the cameras flipped off, Void said "Happy birthday again! Have fun tonight!"

"Y- Thanks, buddy!" Rachel replied, waving to him.

She was getting ready to say "You, too!", but was able to correct herself. It just wasn't normal for something to be all about... _her_.

So... she was 18 now. This night could not have come soon enough. It wasn't completely because of the party, but it was the first night that she could start lining up her own agenda. She could start carving her own path, making her own money, expanding her own schedule, and making a life for herself instead of being bound to a chair with iron rope by someone else's budget, or someone else's schedule.

She headed for backstage. She'd likely be worn out tonight, but the next day, it was all setting herself up for success!

Nothing set her up, though, for her nearly getting a heart attack when she got backstage, though.

"SURPRISE!" went an entire group of people.

A few people had a gift or card of some sort waiting in their hands. Everyone was smiling at her... and only her, as if she was the world.

This group of people consisted of Elektor, Metalla, Sonic, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Charmy, and Espio. This assortment was the icing on the cake.

Silver, Elektor, Metalla, Vector, and even Espio were laughing at the look she must have had on her face. She remembered that distinctly.

"...You guys..." she replied, a little closer to crying than she would have expected. Not to tears, but halfway there.

"What?" asked Silver, walking up to her. "...You thought we couldn't have cared less that it's your birthday, didn't you?"

"It's the 18th anniversary of when you... my best friend... were born," Elektor added. "That's pretty important, if you ask me."

"It's all about you today!" Vector asserted. "...Well... for the next few hours..."

After a laugh, Rachel replied "Thank you all so much! My day is officially made."

"You've made a wonderful impact on all of our individual lives in some way, shape, or form," Espio told her. "It would take us much more than an entire day to repay you."

"Yeah," Silver nodded. "For existing."

"Hey, didn't you say you had a party to go to?" asked Metalla.

"Yeah," nodded Rachel, walking over to her bag (which Espio just so happened to be standing by) and picking it up. "And you are all invited."

There was a brief sound of excitement that came from them all.

"You mean that?" Elektor asked.

"Well, uh... yeah," Rachel replied.

"Well, let's go!" Charmy cheered.

And thus, a whole gaggle of celebrities was spotted at the local bowling alley. Rachel's civilian friends were all pinching themselves, questioning how they had the privilege to exist.

They all went bowling (Rachel ended up winning two drawings that took place during that time), go-karting, and arcading (Rachel somehow convinced Espio to play this game called Speed of Light, in which he absolutely destroyed her score), and it was an absolute blast for most of them. If "most" means everyone but Espio. He had fun, yeah, but he just wished it could have been much less... loud. A nice walk in the snow with Rachel would have been much more ideal.

As for gifts, Elektor and Vector got her cards with money in them. Nothing like getting rich, huh? One of her civilian friends, Shawn the Mongoose, got her an eShop card. There were two games she wanted from that shop, so this was greatly appreciated! Silver got her a plush Foxy (the one from Five Nights at Freddy's), which had this adorable look on its face despite being intended to haunt nightmares.

But the final gift was one Rachel would end up taking as an absolute treasure, whether she liked it or not. She reached into the bag to find a journal, with a carpet-like bookmark and a strip of hide with a single white bead to tie it closed. Also inside the bag was a velvet black case which held a pen. Despite being in a cosmic and loud bowling alley, its appearance brought her to the edge of a forest in her mind's eye. Perhaps its giver had intended this?

The note that came attached with it will best explain why this would end up becoming as valuable as a platinum trophy to her. This note made her grow closer and closer to tears with every line. They had her read it out loud, and a certain mysterious guy was going to get teased by the other guys for it for the rest of the night. And Rachel stood up for the mysterious guy every time, as a certain pearl guy got an odd sour feeling every time.

...The note read as follows:

"The strings on this journal, and the bag which contains the pen, were hand-crafted and hand-tied. It's all a symbolistic thank you, for being such a unique and irreplaceable contribution to this universe. It is also my wish that you will continue to write, perhaps using this journal to inspire you, and continue to use your craft to bewitch minds everywhere. Best wishes, and I hope your birthday is a wonderful one.

\- Sincerely yours, Espio"


	70. Interlude 1

**Hedgehogwriter07: I am so sorry to hear that all of this, whatever it may be, is happening to you. I care about you, so remember that. I hope things start looking up, and… we're seriously going to miss you.**

* * *

"Hey, Rachel… I have a double dose of bad news for you."

That was Elektor, through the phone, sitting in his own dark shell of a room. To make matters worse, he sounded so depleted of energy as he spoke. This must have been huge, right? The world was ending, right? He'd fallen for Metalla, and some freak accident had forced her to turn him down, right?

"Oh, dear…" Rachel replied, resting on her

living room couch. "What's wrong?"

"Well, first off, the show can't air this week," Elektor sighed. "Nobody got back with us."

"Geez, really?" Rachel reacted, her exasperation just brimming with those words. "I mean, I've been sick, so the extra resting is nice, but… that's getting really worrying. This didn't happen too long ago."

"Yeah," Elektor worried. "I don't quite get it myself. But even worse… someone we knew dearly has put in her somewhat-official letter of withdrawal."

"Somewhat-official?" asked Rachel.

"She said she might be able to pop in every now and then," Elektor explained. "But, and I quote, 'I wouldn't bet on it.'"

"Really?" Rachel asked, not being able to speak a word.

"It's Sarah," Elektor said.

"Sarah?" Rachel whined. Sarah was so nice and cool! Oh, this was awful! Rachel still could not find words. Thoughts of the Unknown was falling apart right before her eyes, wasn't it?

"Here… Would you like me to read the letter for you?" asked Elektor.

"Yeah," Rachel said, even nodding. "I need closure."

"Alright," said Elektor.

The letter read as follows:

'Greetings to everyone on Thoughts of the Unknown.

I am writing this to let you all know that I am sorry for my previous absences but I most likely will not return to the show.. Unfortunately, a lot of things have been going on involving family and school.. I'm not sure if I will be able to come back on every now and then but I hope I can find the time to do so. I wish you luck with your show, Rachel. And I hope you all find that special someone one day.

Best Wishes,  
Sarah the Hedgehog'

"…No way…" Rachel reacted. "What could be going on?! Arguments, deaths… And to such close friends…"

"It worries me, too…" said Elektor. "I've been wondering when we'd ever hear back from Levi."

"Didn't he say he was battling a disease or something?" said Rachel. "I hope he's okay… I hope Sarah's okay… Elektor?"

"Yeah?" asked the producer-in-question.

"…Is Thoughts of the Unknown going to be okay?" Rachel asked, holding onto the show like a child would hold on to a dead puppy.

"I can't tell you…" Elektor said, heaving a sigh of distress. He clearly was just as worried, if not worried sick, about the production that had brought them together at long freaking last.

Suddenly, something felt like it was kicking Rachel's face. It was completely invisible, completely intangible… but it was making her eyelids magnetic.

"…Let's talk later, alright?" Rachel yawned. "This medicine's kicking in."

"Get better soon, pal!" Elektor pleaded. "Geez, it sucks to hear that's happening to you…"

"I'll be alright," Rachel assured him, smiling like a little schoolgirl. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, buddy," Elektor replied.

They hung up. Elektor went back to sleeping on his gaming chair (which was supposed to be going back to playing Skyrim), and Rachel conked out almost immediately.

The last thing she remembered for that night was the odd swish of wind she thought she heard. It seemed so out-of-place because essentially all the windows of the house were sealed shut as if a plague was banging against them. So loud... She thought nothing of it.


	71. Episode 69 (Emerl x Nicole)

**Props: Thank you so much, Reaver17, for the OC and opinion! You are the reason for the show's thriving, I hope you realize! And thank you to the one known as "Johnathen" for next week's topic! Interesting new concept brought to the table!**

 **Reason for lateness: It's COMPLETELY my fault. I ducked up. I got distracted. I am SO, SO sorry about that and hope it never happens again! Well… here's some Christmas Eve reading for ya!**

* * *

"Okay… it's okay…" a certain mature lad muttered to himself, every step he paced back and forth echoing menacingly throughout the room. "No more shortcuts on the speech… Oh, who am I kidding? I can't talk about her… No, no… Suck it up, Void. You're a hardened Black Arms deserter, not some feebly sick pup anymore. Okay, you got this. Just try not to oversell it…. What am I talking about?! Overselling it is my thing! But it's probably a bad idea to ask at the end… Oh heck, why not? It's not like I do anything interesting in my spare time."

A certain fox's heart was beating in anticipation and mystery after hearing all of this.

Standing right there and watching his mouth make every word, that is. Well, every word after "overselling it".

And it was honestly a bit relaxing, too. She'd just emerged from Elektor's office. Or should she say "Stubborn McFace's" office.

He'd forgotten to pay the electricity bill, and it'd taken until today to turn the power back on. That's why the show was running on what was likely a busy day for many people. Elektor tried to claim that he was focused on other matters. Or as Rachel heard it, that she should have foreseen that this was going to happen. Her chest hurt, and she could've strangled a baby, as anger normally entails.

A bit of silence went by after Void nodded to himself for the final time. No going back, no going back on your word… and is someone watching me?

He whipped around to see that indeed, Rachel was reading him like a thriller.

"Er…" he responded. "How much of that did you get?"

"Everything after 'overselling it is my thing,'" Rachel responded. "Just be yourself up there, buddy. It's not like you're killing anyone."

"I-It's… thanks," said Void.

Some minutes later, everyone was in their seats (or standing spots, I suppose), and the cameras went on.

"So I had one of my Christmas presents spoiled for me," Rachel chuckled. "My mother and my aunt were talking on speakerphone, and I was just two rooms over, and my aunt mentioned 'Luigi doll,' which just so happened to be on my list for Santa. My mother soon freaked out and informed her that she'd been on speakerphone. Ah, well… Mario will get to see his brother, right? Not like anything major was spoiled for me!"

The audience gave moderate laughs to this anecdote.

"So welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" Rachel beamed. "I WANTED to do this yesterday so you wouldn't have to balance it and your Christmas cooking, but… money's a real female dog. The studio was dark and cold yesterday. So this week, Nicole is back on the stand because we've paired her with another robot, namely Emerl! I'm… kinda neutral on this one. It's been years since I've seen anything of Emerl, so I don't really know anything about him. I don't really see anything that points toward any special possibilities between them, either. It's possible, I say. If it happens, more power to them… and no, that was not meant to be a pun."

She facepalmed, realizing how that could very much have been a pun.

"Let's get our guest out here to enlighten us all!" Rachel beamed. "You know him as the Resident Dream Crusher…"

For a brief moment, she wondered if her speech was redundant. The chair that had the fluff coming out of it was sitting in plain sight. Except for Rachel's clean chair, there were no other chairs accompanying it. 2+2.

"Please give a joyful welcome…" said Rachel. "To Void!"

The audience applauded, and Void emerged… with an air of pride that stuck out. Knowing how Void already was, that was saying something.

As he found his seat, he put his hands up and greeted the audience with "Hello hello hello, everybody! Please, no flash photography! Autographs are $5.99 a piece! Refrain from yanking on my tail! I know it's adorable and all, but I need some space."

…If this wasn't sarcasm…

"Heyo, Mr. Fame McGetty," Rachel waved, finding her own seat. "I won't bore you with the formalities. Let's just hop right into it."

"Thank you," said Void, standing right back up and assuming his presenter position. "Okay… so Emerl, the totally awesome, move-busting, skill-copying, Eggbot-crushing, 4,000-year-old combat bot..."

He waved to the camera.

"Big fan, by the way," he added.

That thing was 4,000 years old? She was shocked she wasn't more shocked. It surprised her… yet it didn't.

"And the ever lovely cyberspace-strolling, firewall-crashing Nicole the Lynx/AI."

Some secret he'd accidentally said on TV. It was now as known as the color of the grass.

"Sorry," Void sighed, cringing dramatically. "But as is my totally-not-a-job-I-enjoy position as your favorite dream crusher, I regret to inform you all that this ship has already short-circuited."

And THERE it was.

"So since I…" he began, clearing his throat and grinning sheepishly. "I clearly avoided doing it right the first time… I'll start by going over Nicole. She is the Freedom Fighters' number 1 tech expert, which I suppose makes sense, being kinda sorta composed of code. She can hack through firewalls, provide emotional support like a pro…"

Could she really? Rachel sighed, thinking back to other matters and finding them taking over for a few moments.

"…Build cities with tiny robots…" Void went on. "Come up with sophisticated mission strategies, and do a lot more genius stuff that I also can't entirely understand without hurting my grey matter, I'm sure."

…Maybe she really was better for a certain someone…

"I could say she's a hero," said Void. "But I don't think that alone would cover saving countless lives from the Eggman's creepy life-sucking energy conversion chamber things and building an entire city from nanites to protect them indefinitely, and generally giving the big guy a hard time. She's a genius, obviously, she's kind, she keeps her friends' morale and she kicks butt. I'm sure any guy would be lucky to have her."

Game, set, match. That last part hit Rachel especially hard. He was right. He was completely right. She'd grown a little more discouraged with every line of Void's description.

"The problem is not her," Void continued. "The problem is Emerl. He's, uh… Well, he's a little difficult. By which I mean, of course, he's the most powerful weapon of mass destruction ever created. At one point, in a fight, be beat BOTH Sonic and Shadow AT THE SAME TIME. He's a combat bot, and one of a kind. Through a long series of long and complicated events that I don't want to get into, his creators and other robots were locked away in some trans-dimensional prison, leaving him behind to hibernate for 4,000 years. One day, of course, he fell into Eggman's grubby paws and was set on the path of the next Metal Sonic. But poor Emerl was quickly thrown away when he permanently absorbed a Chaos Emerald in Baldy's possession as an energy source, which led to the end of his short and unwilling career as Egghead's protégé. Sonic found him, and there was a whole phase of friendship… at least, I think it was friendship. But eventually, Emerl's old circuits began to remember their purpose, which at last order was to destroy everything in sight. They fixed him eventually, sure, but Eggman reprogrammed him, and there was another fight, and yada yada yada they fixed him again. What I'm saying is that he is quite possibly a bigger threat than anything the Egghead has ever built, and he's old."

Rachel snickered a bit. "He's old," huh?

Void, noticing the amused look on Rachel's face, said "Well, what I mean by that is that he can always short-circuit after a knock to the head and go into "YOU MUST DIE NOW" mode again.

"Yeah," nodded Rachel.

"Even without that," Void said. "He has a personality, sure, but he never talks, his face doesn't show emotion, he's got basically no way to communicate, and to bring my biggest issue with this… he kinda acts like a toddler. When he's not fighting, he's usually trailing cluelessly after Cream and her Chao. He's like an even more innocent Wall-E that doesn't really know what's going on. I just don't really see how he's even capable of a relationship. That's really all I got."

Nicole has better potential than you for just about anyone, and Emerl's a destructive child. That's all you've got, huh? Cool.

"Thank you for that," Rachel nodded. "You know… you were going through the fact that Emerl's a bigger threat than anything Eggman's made. I find it a bit ironic."

"How so?" asked Void.

"All the issues of today, and terrorist groups and whatnot…" said Rachel. "They're seen as more horrible than back in the day. Well, many things are seen as worse than they were in the past. Until now, I've never heard of anything from distant history that outdoes the present. Interesting."

Rachel stood.

"I've actually got a bit of a surprise for you all," she said. "Next week's shipping is a bit different. How about we dip one hand into the tank labeled 'Mushroom Kingdom?'"

This grabbed the audience's interest. Murmurs rippled throughout the crowd.

"It's been suggested that we do a crossover shipping, so I say we try it out," she continued. "One person reached into two tanks, pulled out Bowser Junior and Cream, and saw it fit. Next week, we see how we see it! Have an absolutely merry Christmas, everyone!"

After a brief applause from the audience, Void and Rachel went backstage, Rachel much more quickly.

A familiar trio was hanging out by the couch, another familiar person standing on the opposite side of the room.

And somehow, her heart only sped up by about half of what it usually would. She wasn't as shocked about seeing Vector, Espio, Charmy, and Nicole here as she thought she would.

She looked to the side to see that Void was as still as a statue, his fixed gaze on Nicole.

Nicole, after a second or so, was staring right back. Ah, the show was just starting, wasn't it?

"A-Ah… hi, Nicole!" Void said.

Rachel almost lost it. This man was the epitome of confidence… he was a big shot _just moments ago_ … and here he was now.

"Ah, hello, Void," Nicole responded.

Void froze for another second before walking up to her. It took him a second to grasp how she could've gotten his name. Once he realized it, and that she even knew who he was now, he got a bit happier.

Rachel was looking forward to what would happen next. It's not like they'd noticed her not-so-secret viewing of this little scene, but…

"'Ey, Rachel!" came Vector's voice from nearby.

Ah, well. She should pay them some respect and get her eyes off their backs.

"How do you do?" Nicole asked Void.

"I'm… d-doing charming, Nicole," he responded. "How about you?" Doing charming… WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

"I've been quite alright, thank you," Nicole nodded.

Void's feelings were simple math.

Nobody, not even Void, could catch that Nicole was quite intrigued with him. Her attention latched onto his every word. His stuttering and overall image of anxiety were exciting mysteries to solve.

Meanwhile, Void decided to just get it out. Put it out there, quit dancing around it, and make sure it gets done.

"Would you like to go see a movie with me?" Void asked, in one fluid, not-stopping motion. Not a stutter. Not a pause until the end. Great, she was more than likely looking at him as a pervert who only wanted one-

"I… I would like that, Void."

Cue the fireworks. Void's heart was beating so fast that someone might as well have lit one in there. He never thought he'd get this far! He thought tonight would be the end of the line! Oh, joyous night! What sort of future would this start? Wait… future? Get AHOLD of yourself, Void!

"That's great!" Void smiled, wider than he thought he'd ever smiled in his entire life. "How about… the 30th at 8?"

"I believe I will be free then," Nicole smiled.

"Great!" said Void.

So that guy was going on a bit of a date with Nicole, huh?

Espio had his doubts. He also had doubts about his doubts. On one hand, what was that brute doing thinking he had that sort of chance with her? On the other hand, though, that's judging someone by their appearance. This was still some of the first he'd seen of Void.

Rachel's attention was half-and-half between Vector's speaking to her and Espio's peeking over the couch at the budding couple. Well, possibly budding couple. Hopefully budding couple.

This half of her attention, though, saw the whole of her aching a bit.

Not as much as she'd feared, though. Espio's relation with Nicole was no new issue. Outside the studio, there were hours of celebrity research, and hours of spacing out and seeing mental images on the floor as if she was a projector. Images of if he did like Nicole, images of the fact that that probably _was_ true, images of how insecure she'd feel if she tried advancing anything with Espio… the whole lot.

Hours of heavy-heart. Likely even a few accumulated minutes of trying to hold back tears, but that was more early on.

Last night, she'd had a dream that they were cuddling. That she and Espio were on a mattress in some random unexplained setting, and that he was snuggling her for warmth.

Yet… he was only visibly there. There was really nothing… nobody… for Rachel to hold onto. Hey, kinda like her life, right?

…She woke up to find that she didn't feel anything of it. No wanting to go back, no wanting something to knock her out so that she'd never wake up…

Just… neutral.

Maybe… and hopefully… _all this turmoil had cut off her fondness for the mysterious chameleon._

Now, awake and in his presence, she looked at him. Looked at him looking at Nicole… or Void. Likely the both of them.

And it still hurt. But that was it. It just hurt. That was how it was destined to be. Hell, she could probably find a bit of pain in there somewhere if Silver and Blaze were doing something cute together.

She wasn't quite over Espio… but she realized that the pain wasn't worth it. She wasn't over him, but she had to get there. Remembering this point she'd enforced to herself, she focused all her attention on Vector.

"You seem kinda… off," Vector pointed out. "You okay?"

Crap. He'd noticed her pondering, hadn't he?

She would never know... but these words encouraged Espio to turn around and look up at her. Something was wrong?

Meanwhile, what could Rachel do? What could she do about anything, really? She had to be honest.

"Just… thinking about things," she shrugged. "And watching what's going on over there."

She pointed to Void and Nicole, who now were having a delightful conversation about Christmas. Rachel smiled. That was really pleasant… and the sign of good things to come.

Meanwhile, Espio listened to some of Void's words and quickly determined that his doubts were unfounded.

He'd seen his share of ugly relationships in public and near where his clan was. He just didn't want to be the one to sit idle and let another one begin with one of his friends involved. But this Void guy… He was treating her nicely. She seemed to like him. He seemed to have himself together. He was right in the head.

Must just have been the Black Arms monster façade that threw him off.

Now… what was bothering Rachel?

"Would ya look at that?" Vector chuckled for a bit before turning back around. "We shouldn't let them know we know what's going on. Any plans for tomorrow, Rachel?"

"Eh," Rachel shrugged. "Family and all that, most likely. I hope we can all play a game together or something. Maybe I can find something on my phone. I more had traditions I want to carry out tonight."

"Traditions?" asked Espio.

"Sure," Rachel nodded. "I always open one present on Christmas Eve. That's something I've done since I was a child. And a few years ago, I've started watching The Polar Express on Christmas Eve night, simultaneously using a Santa tracker and hitting the hay as soon as he hits this area."

"Santa's not real, you know," said Charmy.

"Yeesh, Charmy…" said Vector.

"…And I thought Void was the dream crusher," Rachel remarked. "No, my logical mind knows that, but I like to believe he's real. Makes things a WHOLE lot more fun and meaningful, if you ask me."

So she was a child at heart. Espio found a certain charm in this as well. Now, then… what could have been on her mind?

All in all, that was an interesting night where everyone learned at least one new thing… about each other. A certain Black Arms deserter and a certain lynx were also starting to cultivate something beautiful. What could be much more of a unique gift than that?


	72. Episode 70 (Xover! Bowser Jr x Cream)

**Props: Thank you so much, Reaver17, for the OC and opinion. I seriously cannot thank you enough for quite literally keeping Thoughts of the Unknown afloat.**

 **Reason for lateness: I got caught up in another important task. Besides, I realized earlier this week that I flubbed up a bit in having Void and Nicole's movie date be when it was, for it may or may not have resulted in Void missing the show. Anyway, let's welcome 2017 and get on started, huh?**

* * *

Rachel's heart rate was pretty steady as she finished up the book she was reading on one of the backstage area's bright orange couches. It was a book written by two of her favorite Internet personalities, hardcover and radiating that beautiful plasticy book scent. Just one of her gifts from Santa.

As she closed it up and put it down… the sound of force against something metal and then something metal hitting the floor nearly broke the studio in two. But… this couch wasn't metal. Rachel's heart nearly leapt through her ribs. Putting a book down shouldn't create that kind of noise… and it was cold. And light was flooding in from somewhere. It was suddenly freezing and bright in-

Oh. In some way, shape, or form, Void had knocked the door clean off its hinges. And he looked completely unfazed.

He was, however, holding a thermos in his hand that might as well have created a hurricane with its steam. No coffee had ever looked like THAT before…

"Er, sorry!" Void frantically apologized to Rachel. "I'll pay for that."

Rachel didn't even hear Elektor step out of his office. And now, that poor soul stood hunched and grimacing at the sight of the gaping hole in the wall. No words to be spoken. Maybe "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO ORDER REPAIRS FOR CRAP AROUND HERE?!" could have sufficed, but somehow, he just couldn't. He could not.

Actually, Elektor's first words that night were "'Ey, can I take a sip of that?" as he casually pointed to the thermos in Void's hand.

Void, barely hearing him, explained "I get a bit jittery when I drink coffee."

He then registered Elektor's plea.

"No, you can't have some," he sighed. "It's a Black Arms brew. We have really high metabolism, so we can take this stuff, while you'd be in a coma. I don't usually drink it, but for some reason, I've had trouble sleeping... since… when? Er… wait, I think…"

He cleared his throat.

"Well, I suppose since yesterday?"

Yesterday… yester- Ah, that's right. Romance.

A smile broke through to Rachel's lips, especially when she and Elektor made eye contact. Elektor didn't even widen his eyes any. It was that exact face, just with a smirk instead.

"What?" asked Void, before getting annoyed and scowling at the both of them.

Shortly after that, the cameras flipped on, and the thought of using those events as the weekly anecdote ran through her mind for a brief second. Nah. Better not.

"So… for Christmas, I got roughly $58 in pocket change," she said. "My… mother's ex-husband kept pocket change from his job as a trucker and put it all in a jar. It was about $114, split between me and my niece. Our hands were practically covered with oil particles or… whatever truckers get on their hands, but 'ey! I'm rich for a while! Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The crowd exploded with joy.

"So, you may have noticed… it's Saturday," Rachel sighed. "Yeah, well… the network we air on called us completely last-minute to inform us that a drama about CIA romances was going to have their series premiere IN OUR TIME SLOT. THANKS, GUYS."

The audience emitted a decent intensity of laughter.

"It worked out, for… other reasons," Rachel added, giggling a bit.

Void got so close to planning her death, it wasn't hilarious. Fortunately, she shut the subject in time.

"So this week, we're doing things just a bit differently," Rachel explained. "We're taking from two tanks instead of one. We've paired a kid from the Mushroom Kingdom with a kid from home. Bowser Jr. and Cream, everyone. How's it all going to work out… hypothetically? We have our famous chair-wrecking guest here to give his take. Please welcome, back to the stage… Void!"

The crowd welcome Void gleefully as he made his way to his seat. A few may or may not have noticed the five or so times his eye twitched in the process.

"Hey, buddy!" Rachel waved.

"Hey!" Void waved back. "So… this is a thing. What do you make of it?"

"I… don't really think it would work out," Rachel said. "Bowser Jr's a little jerkbag, and Cream's a little ball of joy, so… yeah. I believe if you throw them together, you're either getting a death match or a whole big thing of nothing. Bowser Jr. wouldn't like her, and Cream certainly wouldn't like him. Maybe if Bowser Jr. was even somewhat considerate. Heck, maybe he'd fall for her and change his ways a bit! Love is unpredictable, everyone! But… that's really their only hope. I don't predict that at all. Your predictions?"

"So the small, fuzzy ball of happiness and the…" Void explained. "…You know, I'm not actually sure what to call Bowser Jr."

"Little jerkbag?" Rachel proposed, shrugging and laughing a bit.

"And you've just put out a death wish by Bowser," said Void. "What do you think _he_ calls him? Junior? Little Bowsy? Daddy's little koopa?"

"I think I heard Junior," said Rachel. "I'm trying to think back to Super Mario Sunshine."

"Who did Bowser have a kid with, anyway?" Void asked, really seeming to want the answer. "Doesn't he have a bunch?"

"No, I think it's just Junior," said Rachel. "Last I heard, he's not related to the seven initial Koopa Kids."

"Wait… seriously?" asked Void.

"That's what I heard," Rachel nodded. "…Your question still stands, though. There is a mystery mother somewhere. And knowing Bowser… I wonder if… Okay, this is terrible…"

"Out with it," said Void.

"…What if Junior was an accident?" Rachel asked sheepishly.

The entire audience reacted in some way.

"I-I just picture Bowser being the type of guy to end up waking up next to a girl in the morning and having no idea what happened," she laughed. "It's awful… but it would sort of explain why we don't know who she is."

"…I see your point," Void nodded. "Think there's a Queen Koopa hiding somewhere, maybe? Bowser comes home from kidnapping princesses and fighting plumbers, and Queen Koopa's there to roast 'im."

"We never see him have a steady home," Rachel said. "He has a different castle every month or so, right? That could be a good point, too."

"Yeah, yeah, this is off topic," Void chuckled. "But somebody has to ask the real important questions now and then."

"Yeah, exactly," said Rachel.

"So I have nothing to say about Junior," said Void. "I don't really know anything about him, other than that his dad spoils him with an endless supply of flying ships, and that he thinks his dad is the greatest guy in the world. You think he knows that Bowser is the bad guy?"

"Hey, that's… actually pretty deep," Rachel marveled. That'd be on her mind for at least the rest of the day. A.K.A. the rest of the year.

The audience murmured in amazement. Nobody had really thought about this.

"At least, most of the time, he's the bad guy," Void shrugged. "He's got a habit of crushing any villain who tries to… 1-up him."

The entire studio, even Elektor and the stage crew, fell silent for, like, five seconds. The buzzing of a stinkbug against one of the ceiling lights was louder than everyone's collective breathing combined.

"Oh, come on!" Void complained. "That was funny!"

Then, and only then, one singular guy in the back row went "Oh, I get it" before emitting precisely two laughs.

"And Cream…" Void continued, breaking the silence like a molten knife to a block of ice. "Well, she's nice, I suppose. Very quiet and polite, probably the only child on Mobius I can tolerate for more than five minutes. I mean, these two could go on a pleasant play date, I suppose. You think Bowser has the manners for one of Vanilla's tea parties?"

"Bowser and Vanilla…" Rachel chuckled a bit.

"Come on," Void grumbled.

"It won't be next week's, I can promise you that," Rachel shrugged. "It's just a thought. I imagine it could bring about the exact same opinions, too."

"…Yeah," said Void. "But… I imagine Junior would do something, then everyone starts arguing, then Cream calls Mr. Shadow to knock the Koopa King on his spiky arse…"

"I'd pay a bit to see that," said Rachel. "…The Shadow roasting Bowser over an open fire part."

"…Or maybe I could take up the role…" Void beamed. "Always wanted an autograph from Bowser…"

"You're getting more than an autograph, buddy," Rachel laughed. "Either spikes through your body, a hunk of turtle… thing… meat… or both."

"Ah, I could take 'im," Void insisted. "You think Goombas make minimum wage?"

Rachel laughed again, then replied "You know, they might. Hell, it might even be a higher paying job than presidency. Or they could make peanuts. Or less than peanuts. It's a real good question. They're essentially soldiers, putting their lives out there for Mario and friends to step in. I don't think soldiers make money… right?"

"They do," someone from the audience answered. "About $1500 a month, lowest ranking."

"Seriously?!" Rachel reacted. "…Well, we're talking about Bowser here."

"True," Void nodded. "For all we know, _they_ have to pay _him_."

"Yeah, probably," Rachel laughed, standing up. "Well, that was riveting! Thank you, Void, for being on the show!"

"Thank you for having me!" Void replied, giving a bow in his seat.

"Next week… first Friday of the best year of my life…" Rachel smiled. "Hmm. Taking a couple of characters from y'old."

Dear Chaos… Please, don't let this trigger any sadness for the Chaotix… She knew it had the potential to bring something up. They were still trying to find Mighty, weren't they? Hey… maybe her guests next week would know something! This is actually good!

"Mighty the Armadillo and Honey the Cat have been paired together," said Rachel. "Is it something, or maniacal work? We see next week! Happy 2017, everyone!"

The audience cheered and started to get up as Rachel went backstage.

She picked up her bag and walked to the door- er, no, the hole in the wall. She looked back once before leaving the building. The only visible person was Void, who was taking another drag of his steroid coffee.

…Dare she knock on Elektor's door and ask if he was free? Dare it, she would not. He probably had his own joy to bask in as the clock would strike midnight. Maybe with Metalla, maybe with some other buddies… but certainly not with Rachel the Waste of Space.

Ah, well. It's just another year's goodbye, right? Alone… in a room with a TV and absolutely no other enthusiasm… maybe the world of New Leaf welcoming 2017 a minute before her real world would… but that was it. This was just going to be another year's goodbye.


	73. Episode 71 (Mighty x Honey)

**Props: Thank you so much, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. Waffles, it is so good to see you again! Thank you both for sticking with me! It means the world!**

* * *

Elektor stood staring at the new back door. It shone as a brilliant silver. Nobody could miss it! It was a bit cold to the touch, but there was no more of a draft coming in! This was extremely good because it seemed the entire area was suffering from an arctic vortex.

And Void had just slammed that door closed before plopping onto the couch, where he was now shielding his eyes from the sun-like lights on the ceiling and trying to figure out how to explain it all to Thorn and Rachel, who were standing over him like hawks over a nest.

"What happened?" Void groaned. "Er… I did something stupid."

He heaved a sigh of defeat.

"So me and Nicole have been going out a few more times since our first date," Void began.

"…Wait, you're dating Nicole?!" Thorn asked close to the mannerisms of a fangirl.

"Yup, that's a thing!" Rachel smiled. "Congrats, dude!"

"And… well…" Void continued. "She likes dancing, apparently, so we went out to some new club. It was fun… a little too many people for my taste, but it was fun. So anyway, at some point, we stopped dancing, and then we sat down and talked for a while. Then Nikki…"

Wait, NIKKI? Oh, that was gold… This was purely amazing. Thorn and Rachel couldn't hold this back as they giggled, almost right in Void's face. A budding couple, right here. Yep. This is happening.

"That is, NICOLE…" Void continued, glaring at them both. "…She decided to be funny and suggested we have a drinking contest."

Void drinking, eh? That was… something to line up with his personality, Rachel supposed on second thought. First, he shows up on steroids… now hungover.

"Which was a really stupid move on my part," Void admitted. "Because I was too busy enjoying myself, I never put it together that she can't actually get drunk. I mean, she can drink, but it just burns up inside her… or something like that. So we had the contest, and, well… I lost."

Rachel laughed "I would have expected you to take alcohol like a champ, too!" Thorn just chuckled, as did Elektor from the side. Void let out another painful groan.

"You gonna be good for the show, dude?" asked Elektor.

"I'll be fine," Void reassured them. "I'll burn through it before I get onstage. High metabolism, remember?"

Fifteen minutes later, he indeed felt like his old self again. And part of him insisted that he'd do it all over again.

The cameras switched on.

"So… huh…" Rachel thought aloud. "You ever try blowing bubbles in subzero air? Those things just freeze up and become little squishy bubbles. It's adorable, and heaps of fun… until your fingers start falling off. It's that time of the year, everyone… and it's also that time of the week! Welcome, everyone, back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The crowd wowed Rachel for yet another week with their applause and cheer. It may as well have been December all over again.

"So this week, we've got a couple of characters some may put in the 'obsolete' group," she said. "Might and Sweet. Mighty and Honey, everyone. Somehow, even though I don't know too much about either of these fine folks, I see some chemistry here. They both seem to have fighting spirits, and the ability to bond over athletic activities. A couple that burns calories together stays together, or so would be a phrase. Maybe I only say that because Honey was in Sonic the Fighters… but I don't know. Tonight, as you may notice from the mysterious additional chair, we have a guest who's returning after what's felt like years. Please welcome to the stage… Void… and THORN!"

The noise took a spike as the aforementioned duo hopped out from behind the curtain and did their own enthusiastic waves before heading to their seats.

"Heyo, guys!" Rachel smiled, taking her own seat. "Void, it's good to see you in good shape!"

"Yup," Void nodded. Why did she have to say that?

"And Thorn, it's so good to see you again!" said Rachel.

"I'M ALIVE!" Thorn replied, putting her hands up.

"Yes!" Rachel celebrated.

The audience showed their joy again.

"So… a punch-packer and a pack-puncher, I suppose you could say," Rachel said, shrugging at how mediocre that sounded. "Mighty and Honey… Powerful to love, or bound to end with a quick swipe?"

"Well, it rhymes, for one thing," said Thorn. "I can't exactly describe their personalities, but I think these two would make a great bunch. Mighty is protective and caring, and Honey is resourceful and can fend for herself… not to mention, a fashionable gal as well!"

So Honey was THAT type…

"I think this relationship would go far," Honey concluded.

"Sweet!" Rachel smiled.

"Mighty and Honey… Mighty Honey…" Void began. "That would make a pretty sick brand name for a line of tea sweeteners."

"Yeah!" Thorn agreed.

"I see that," Rachel nodded.

"Anyway, these two…" Void continued. "Well, they have, as far as I know, pretty much nothing in common, but I don't know. Maybe Mighty is really a fashion-conscious person, or not. He's got some real high and mighty morales, I can say that much."

 _Mighty_ morales, eh? Let's hear about those.

"He almost ripped Snively in half one time because he thought his friend Ray was killed," he explained. "He wasn't, fortunately, but Mighty didn't know that. But don't let that trick you into thinking he's just a brute. He'll do anything to help those in need. ANYTHING. He's a super strong juggernaut, and he's a nice guy with a sense of justice. He likes being the good guy. I'd call that boyfriend material."

"So would I…" Rachel thought aloud. Not that she had any thing for Mighty, but… being alone with a twice-broken heart, something like this was interesting.

"As for Honey the Cat," Void said, then proceeded to shudder. "I met her once."

"You have?" asked Thorn in disbelief.

"Yup," Void nodded. "She took one look at me and tried to force me into… what's the word? Ah, yes… 'accessorizing.' She assured me that I would look 'stunning' in, quote, 'bronze combat sneakers.'" He snorted. "My issues with fashion aside, Honey is a nice girl, if a little overly-persistent in her search for models for her career as a designer."

So she was actually a designer?! Huh. And Void as a model… well… it'd be interesting. She'd say it would grab people's attention.

"I really don't know much about her other than that she was more than happy to help Sonic get his hands on a Chaos Emerald," Void went on. "So she has some fine morals as well."

At first glance, Honey seemed like the chaotic neutral type. Perhaps it was the dress.

"I don't know what to say to these two," Void concluded. "There hasn't been much of a 'likes and dislikes' section on them. Anything could happen between these two. I think, personally, I might bet my money in favor of this one."

"Money, really?" asked Rachel.

"Did I stutter?" Void joked.

"Yes," Rachel joked back, standing up. "Yes, you did. Are you okay?"

If that hostess had said one thing about the incident with the drinking game, Void swore he was going to snap her neck. Well, a little part of him swore it.

"Well, that's all we have for this week," said Rachel. "Join us next week… when we discuss the pairing of our famous blue gust of wind and a person who I have no idea about! Sonic and Lien-Da. Do they work? Shall it burn to ashes? I shall be informed of that and more next time on Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience applauded before they started filing out of the room through the doors to the studio's lobby. The guests and Rachel made their ways to backstage, as to prepare to leave.

"Hope to see you both again next week," Rachel said to Thorn and Void as she put her hand on the door, coat zipped tight and her purse around her shoulder.

"We'll see!" said Thorn. "I hope so, too!"

"And Void," Rachel added. "No more pre-show hangovers, okay?"

Thorn lost control of her laughter.

"This was one mistake…" Void growled, seriously hoping he wouldn't end up killing her.

"Yes, but as I've gone through life," said Rachel. "Mistakes resurface and dance the charade at least once again if you leave them unattended. Let's not let that happen."

Without really thinking, Rachel stepped outside and closed the door before she could hear any more retaliation.

A few moments later found her backing out of her parking space… and her heart leaping up to her throat as she saw two piercing green eyes stare at her from behind a tree. They… _glowed_.

Rachel, more quickly than was probably safe in driving, got out of there. In retrospect, though, they were glowingly familiar. The answer was like a dimming light bulb in her mind. Hedgehog? Male? Those two factors rang a bell. It nearly kept her up that night.

* * *

 **Author's reassurance: The one known as "Jonathen"… Be assured, your couple of ideas were fully considered and thought through. Unfortunately, I will not be including them as topics. You have, however, encouraged me to remind you and the rest of my readers of a couple of things, so I thank you for that.**

 **Don't think that this is exclusive to those who are already in it. I am pretty much always open to newcomers! Also, if there's an idea you would love to see on the show, do not feel like a burden for suggesting it!** _ **Not all ideas will make it to the limelight, but all will be considered!**_ **I just wanted to make sure you know that even if you haven't spoken up yet, or haven't in a while… you can still be in this with us.**


	74. Episode 72 (Sonic x Lien-Da)

**Props: Thanks to all of you, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "Anymonous," and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. "Anymonous," congrats on speaking up! That's a beautiful thing! Welcome to the show!**

* * *

"So I started watching One Punch Man tonight, over dinner…" Rachel said to the audience as the cameras flipped on. "My dinner tonight was a heaping bowl of chicken-flavored rice. I realized this and wondered to myself… and I'll bet this was the dumbest thing I've wondered all year thus far… 'Does eating rice and watching anime make me a weeaboo?'"

Half of the audience chortled. Half found themselves momentarily triggered.

"I'm not even going to continue pursuing that one," Rachel laughed sheepishly. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience cheered anyway. Thank Chaos…

"So tonight, we're shipping our main blue blur with the one known as Lien-Da," Rachel stated. "I have no opinion tonight, for I have no clue as to the mark Lien-Da has left on this planet. I need a few people to help me out tonight. Two are old pals. One… One is new here!"

If there was anyone nodding off in the audience, this jolted each one of them awake. Newcomers were like rings of fire here at Thoughts of the Unknown. Uncertain. Hot. Exhilarating.

"Let's get our old pals out here first," Rachel smiled. "Give a warm 'welcome back' to Thorn and Void!"

The audience went wild as the old pals of the set made their ways to their seats, Void's being so beautifully punctured. Most of the stuffing that was in it was who-knows-where.

"Our next newcomer is a real personality," said Rachel. "We're excited to welcome him to our stage! Please welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown… Bret 'Bubba' Cat!"

This audience was a real blessing. Before the kid even stepped out, they were on their feet showering him with praise. With slight hesitance, and a bit shaky, Bret stepped out and toward the seat next to Void. His fur was a vibrant red all over, with it turning peach-colored in the ears. There was a singular patch of black fur on his right shoulder that was roughly an inch or two wide, and he sported an alfalfa-like sprout of red hair on his head. He wore black biker gloves, a white short-sleeved leather jacket, a black undershirt, black silk shorts, and black high-tops with silver stripes running down the middle. Not that the audience knew this, but figuring out this kid's birthday was a bit of a puzzle. He was born on February 29th of 2004. A leap year. He'd lived nearly 13 years… but only 4 birthdays.

Finding her own seat, Rachel smiled "Welcome to the show, Bret! You're going to love it here!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Void joked. "This is where we mince the youngest person onstage into a can of meat."

Bret shivered a bit before the audience chuckled.

"I kid… kid," said Void.

"It's great here," Thorn nodded.

"So… Bret…" Rachel smiled.

"Excited much?" asked Void.

It was true. Rachel had leaned forward toward Bret and was just WAITING for the prime opportunity.

"Ooh, it's been so long since I've gotten to do this!" Rachel hyped, clapping her hands a few times. "Bret… feel free to keep quiet if you'd like, because I understand the question's nature… but there is a question that every single newcomer to the show must be asked. The answer, if there is one, will be used as a part of our friendship."

She eyed Void for a moment before looking back to Bret, who was honestly a little fearful to say anything. Just a bit.

"Bret…" said Rachel. "Do you have your heart set on any of the famous heroes or villains of Mobius? Do you have a celebrity crush?"

"I don't really like any of the girls that way," Bret replied, shaking his head. "Really… I'm a friend of Silver's, but that's it."

"Ah," Rachel reacted. "He's a cool guy."

And nothing more… hopefully…

"So Bret, let's go to you first," she continued. "Sonic and Lien-Da… Grace or disaster? Enlighten me, please."

"Well… this'll be tough…" said Bret. "Sonic, liking an evil being?"

So right off the bat, Lien-Da was evil. Thing learned.

"I say no," Bret explained. "Not because _I_ don't like evil, but because Sonic isn't the 'evil' type of guy. I know, he has MULTIPLE ships with the evils – Scourge, for example…"

Rachel just had to laugh. How was that even a thing?!

"But I don't care at this point," Bret sighed. "No offense to the shippers. I mean, Lien-Da, from what I've seen, killed her stepmother and father. How, in any way, would this be possible? So therefore, it's a big, fat N and O from me."

"Point taken," Rachel nodded. "Alright… Thorn. Your thoughts?"

Thorn sunk into her chair. It was amusing.

"Nope," she said. "Very much nope. Lien-Da is a power-hungry echidna, who doesn't seem to take 'no' for an answer. I have got a feeling that she would completely dictate the relationship!"

That was likely true.

"Just thinking of them as a couple doesn't really settle right with me…" she concluded.

"Yeah, I see how that could be," Rachel nodded. "Dictators are no good lovers. Void?"

"No," Void said instantly. "Just no. I don't know why, but Lien-Da just creeps me out more than Dr. Finitevus, and I think Sonic would agree. She's unarguably evil…"

They'd established that by now.

"She's hated everyone for getting in the way of the dark legion long after even Dimitri," Void stated. "The FORMER ENERJAK as I'd like to remind you all… and current cyborg brain in a bubble… had already let go of any resentment he had for Sonic and his friends who had basically taken godhood away from him."

Wait, where did all of this come from? Dimitri was just a brain now?

"Lien-Da has worked for a long list of evil doers from the aforementioned Finitevus, to the Iron Dominion and their messed up ninja-type clans, to even the big Egghead himself," Void explained. "I don't know about you, but the last time Sonic dated somebody even slightly evil…

He cleared his throat. Something akin to "Fiona Fox" came out with it.

"It did NOT go over well," Void concluded. "Sorry, guys, but this is a dream in need of crushing."

"And that's what you're here for," Rachel smiled at him. "Bret, Void here is our Resident Dream Crusher."

"Yup, that's me!" Void smiled, pointing at himself.

Rachel stood.

"Well, that's all we've got for you for this week," she said. "Join us next week… when we discuss how one thief will go with another. Surprised we haven't talked about Manic yet! Manic and Rouge! Will they steal each other's hearts or each other's throats first? Stay tuned till next week!"

As the cameras shut off, Rachel shook Bret's hand and spoke with him a bit.

"You know, you remind me of a friend of mine from school," Rachel told him.

"Oh, do I?" Bret laughed. "This face?"

"His name's Tyler," Rachel shrugged. "I dunno. You just kinda seem like him."

About 20 minutes later saw Rachel at her run-down home in the suburbs near Emerald Coast. She walked in and toward the kitchen to make her late dinner.

As she reached for a package of instant noodles, it dawned on her. She was the hostess of a talk show that had essentially gone global by now, so that, of course, came with some income. She was 18. Why didn't she search for her own place?

Because she'd be off to college later this year, that's why. The university she was going to was three hours away from the studio. She'd looked it up. Nothing wrong with a weekly train ride back home, right?

As she reached for the utensil drawer, a folder caught her eye. It was hidden under the mysterious shadow of a cabinet, so she likely would have passed it off if it wasn't for how it was labeled.

In lazy ink pen… in her mother's handwriting… was "Rachel – Black Arms."

Rachel immediately reached for the folder and opened it. There was nothing inside.

She, however, didn't return her focus to her dinner for a full two minutes. Shadow had said something about people thinking they were brother and sister.

…Maybe this was something else. She'd have to ask about it.

* * *

 **Note to the one known as "Anymonous": Reading Bret's personality alone, I was seriously instantly reminded of my friend Tyler. Just figured that bit of trivia would pique your interest.**


	75. Episode 73 (Manic x Rouge)

**Props: Thank you so very much, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and the one known as "Anymonous" for the OCs and opinions. Thanks, Reaver17, for keeping in touch, though! Those exams will be over, and you'll be home free!**

 **Note to the one known as "Anymonous": For continuity, I think I will keep your OC's name as "Bret," if that's completely fine with you.**

 **Reason for lateness: Simply didn't have time. I wasn't really able to write any of my fanfics all week until now.**

* * *

Rachel walked into the studio that afternoon to find Thorn, Bret, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Elektor, and Metalla sitting on the backstage couches, engrossed in a conversation, with the usual rumble of the audience's chatter in the background.

The Chaotix were here again?! Well… it was a little less of a surprise than usual.

The sun was up instead of the moon for one overweight and aggravating reason: Eggman had decided to search the area for Chaos Emeralds. Rachel only had to glance at her phone and see that it was local law enforcement, and she knew what was up. The officer on the other side had even sounded bored.

"I've broken my left arm twice," said Bret. "Once up by my wrist, but lower down, and once just above my elbow. I don't know how I didn't break the joint, but I didn't. The first one – the latter of those I mentioned- was broken on the monkey bars at school, and the second one - the former- I broke when I fell off of a scooter, onto concrete, and my scooter fell on my arm, creating this big knot and a broken arm."

The story garnered a collective pool of gasps and "Ouch" from everyone else.

Elektor looked up at Rachel and asked "What about you? Have you broken any bones?"

"I've only ever fractured one," Rachel replied, taking the empty seat by Elektor.

She grasped her left ankle for a moment.

"This ankle," she said. "It was… almost 6 years ago. Geez, how time flies… Well, my niece had peer-pressured me into riding my bicycle in the rain. I came across a driveway that had almost completely chipped away. My bike buckled, and I fell. How the fracture happened was that my foot got caught and yanked in a completely wrong direction."

She cringed.

"This memory is honestly a little… eh…" she said. "Because I likely would have caught a bug out in that cold rain if some classmates I didn't like hadn't just so happened to be living in the house nearby and helped me home."

"Didn't like?" asked Espio.

"I was much more closed-minded about people back then," Rachel shrugged. "They were the girly cliquish type."

"I see you completely," said Metalla. "Hated those people."

"Yeah," Rachel nodded. "So at first, I thought I'd just sprained it really badly. I've been sprain-prone my entire life. The first night, I literally could not walk. Three days later, my mother saw that it was not getting better. We had it x-rayed, and lo and behold, I'd chipped it. So yeah."

"Huh," said Elektor.

He and Metalla stood.

"Hey, you heard from Void, right?" he asked. "That he can't show this week?"

"Some exams he has to study for," Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I heard."

"Alright, just making sure," said Elektor.

He and Metalla went to his office. The both of them.

…Okay, how were they doing? Not, like, health-wise or anything… THEY. Elektalla.

Okay, let's think back. They were sitting rather closely together when she'd walked in… right? Damn… You never realize important details until they've completely slipped your attention.

Ah, well. If they're becoming a pair of lovebirds, the chirps will be as loud as explosions soon enough.

She saw Thorn and Bret stand, and figured she should go onstage as well. She went to do just that.

"Hey, Rachel," said Vector, having her stop in her tracks. "Before you go…"

"Yup?" asked Rachel, looking back.

"We never wanna stop thanking you for getting us more business," said Vector.

He earned a small, yet powerful nudge in the side from Espio.

"Er, and you're one of our pals now," Vector continued.

Rachel laughed. Right upfront about the business. He was nice and grateful about it, and that was all that mattered. Honesty above all, right?

"Aww, thank you," she smiled. "Honestly… I don't know if I'll be taking any more advertising. You guys… You guys are close to me. You, of course, deserve it. And you've helped out with Eggman before. I just don't want to become a sellout."

"Yeah, I get ya," Vector nodded. "Anyway, we got a coupon from the Nahrung Café, and we need one more person to get the deal."

Espio looked up at Vector, slightly irritated. You couldn't have made her feel special with the whole thing? He had to fix it.

"And we chose you," Espio said without really thinking.

He'd also cut Vector off. Vector, for a split second, wanted to give Espio a knock in the gut… but this was Rachel. This was Espio's gentlemanly communication to Rachel. It was alright. Keep that ball rolling!

Charmy, who'd just been hovering on the sidelines, decided to make it weird again.

"They call this deal the 'Double Date' deal," he commented.

Espio winced just a bit in embarrassment, and Vector let out a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, it's intended for double dates," he said. "But it expires tomorrow, and we wanted to treat you to lunch. Yeah?"

"…Yeah, sure!" Rachel beamed. "I'd be honored!"

She looked to the left, at the wall clock.

"After the show, right?" she said, heading toward the stage. "I'll see you then!"

"Yup!" said Vector.

"See ya!" said Charmy.

Rachel disappeared to the stage. Vector gave Espio a couple of solid pats on the shoulder.

"You could've omitted the fact that this is part of a deal," Espio grumbled.

"Sorry ' bout that, man," said Vector. "I'm failing my quest to be the most awesome wingman on Mobius, aren't I?"

Espio opened his mouth to say something, but closed it right back up again and let out a subtle groan.

Meanwhile, the cameras were on for the show.

"So… I went to a Fire and Ice thing last night," Rachel said. "…Oh, Eggman decided to pay the area a little visit last night, so that's why we're here now. I got the call and saw the opportunity to go to the Ice Festival, where they carved this sculpture of a dog howling at the moon… or something like that… and set fire to it."

Someone from the audience asked "How do you set fire to ice?"

"They had a rope thrown over it," Rachel answered. "…I think they just set a bunch of rope on fire. I came back later when the fire had been put out, and the sculpture was still perfectly there. I dunno. Anyway, welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave their usual happy hoots and hollers.

"So this week, we determine whether a couple of thieves would be likely to break into each other's lives and steal their hearts," said Rachel. "Manic and Rouge. Both seen as generally attractive… but is that enough? I… actually feel like there could be some chemistry here. Their on-the-fly personalities would give them that to relate with each other. I think their morals line up alright, too. I feel as if they could end up being really into each other. I see it. But what do our guests think? Please welcome back to our stardom stage… Thorn and Bret!"

The two eager guests, the latter still trying to get his heart to slow down, strode onstage and to both of their perfectly intact seats.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel smiled, taking her own seat. "So… how's this look? Their hearts being the ultimate heist, or like rocks in the dirt?"

"It may work," said Thorn, nodding. "I enjoy this shipping, mainly because they both are thieves, and they both have some similarities in their personalities. I think, if the two met, they would somehow end up having a competition of who could steal the best, then it would eventually settle into a friendship, or a friendly rivalry. Though there's a small chance they'd fall in love, in my opinion. Still, it is a good shipping."

"Yeah, I agree," Rachel replied. "It just kinda seems like something would happen with those two… Bret? Your thoughts?"

"Why do I feel like this would be a VERY strong relationship?" he said, sinking down in his chair a bit. "I really don't know a lot about either character, but I still think it's a strong shipping. I kinda think that Manic's… sorta urge to steal and Rouge's, well, _urge_ to steal would match up perfectly. Unless Rouge got with Knuckles or Shadow, or Manic got with… well… whoever he would get with. I sort of feel like an outsider on the topic, though. It's just my opinion."

"Hey, don't worry," Rachel tried to assure him. "You brought some solid stuff to the table."

She stood.

"So this looks good, huh?" she said. "Yeah. I think I might ship Rouge with Manic now. So next week…"

It escaped her. She took a moment to fight for it.

"…Oh, yeah! This one's a bit cute!" she said. "Ray and Marine! I unfortunately only know little snippets about both of them, so it'll be all up to our beautiful guests! See you all then!"

The cameras flipped off, and the audience started to flow out of the studio. Rachel immediately went backstage and toward her coat and bag.

"Ready?" asked Vector.

"…What, was I supposed to write a speech or something?" Rachel replied. "Yeah, I'm ready!"

Rachel certainly had an amusing sense of humor. Espio never felt right cracking a joke. Even when the atmosphere was dancing with happiness and light, he could never think of any good jokes. Rachel's though, put a right smile on his face.

They walked out the door and to the Chaotix's car.

* * *

Meanwhile, Elektor was pressing the finishing buttons and clicking a finale of commands to conclude this week's installment of Thoughts of the Unknown.

"You have a really interesting career," Metalla marveled, from right next "How did you learn?"

"A summer camp, for one," Elektor mentioned, not taking his eyes off her. "For two, I just sorta did my own research. I've known for a long time now that this is what I've wanted to do with my life."

"Oh…" said Metalla… with a sad sigh.

This didn't sound right to Elektor.

"I still have no idea what I want to do with my life," Metalla said, staring down at the floor. "I've been told I should just go work for a brothel… that I have no future… but I know they have no proof, so they can't be right."

A brothel?!

"Well, of course they're wrong," Elektor said, putting an arm around Metalla. "Wow, those people are douchebags! You're bright. You have a future somewhere worth your time. That, I absolutely promise."

"…Yeah," Metalla nodded, with a smile and blush that were equally as big as each other. She, however, did not take her eyes off the floor. The weight of the non-believers… She believed she had potential, but those that didn't still got to her somehow. It was like this nagging feeling in her gut, like "What if they _do_ have a point?"

"…Hey," Elektor said softly. "Look at me."

So slowly, Metalla brought her eyes to Elektor's pale, sun-colored ones.

And instantly, she felt the smile return to her face.

"They're wrong," Elektor urged her, looking straight back into Metalla's emerald eyes. "They're absolutely wrong. Don't let them get to you."

Metalla suddenly found herself repressing the urge to emit a sigh of wonder, ecstasy, and amazement.

"I'm absolutely sure that if you put your mind to it, you could excel in an amazing profession," said Elektor. "What do you want to be?"

"…I was thinking of being a special education teacher," Metalla answered. "I always have this excitement to help the little ones, especially those that some see as out of place."

As soon as that final word slipped out of her mouth, she froze in shock as unmistakably, Elektor leaned closer and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Then you can do it," Elektor told her, in a near whisper.

Metalla fixed her eyesight on him again. He was the world. The absolute world for which she lived.

* * *

At Nahrung Café was the tail end of the usual lunchtime hustle and bustle. Vector and Charmy got the café's nearly-famous burger baskets and had started devouring the burgers as soon as they'd gotten them. Espio was biting away at a salad wrap, and Rachel was enjoying a ham and spinach sandwich on flatbread, with some yakisoba noodles on the side.

Not really knowing what to say, Rachel glanced over the wall behind the booth in front of her and at the TV, where there was a meteorologist apparently talking about the possibility of an early spring. This immediately made her happy.

"So how are you doing today?" asked Espio. This snapped Rachel's attention back to him.

"Oh, I'm alright," Rachel smiled. "Really, this and the show is all that's happened all day."

Well… there were other spiky and toxic things running through her mind, but being with Espio sorta put a mask on them.

"And I'm seeing the meteorologist talking about an early spring," she continued. "And it makes me really happy. I go on about the snow near the end of the year, but when the new year comes along, I think the snow's done its job. I just really look forward to when it starts raining again, and when it's warm enough for me to sit out and watch it. There are only a few several things that bring peace in my life, one being love, and another being the rain. I was absolutely phobic of storms when I was a child, but now, I especially love them. I hope to see a tornado in person someday."

"You do, huh?" asked Espio.

…She'd rambled on for a long time. Vector was checking his phone, and Charmy was nowhere to be seen- Oh, he was in the play area. But Espio was still looking right at her. Had he been listening to all that?

Oh, he had. And it was adorable. Rachel herself may not have noticed, but her eyes had danced with this spark of joy and happiness, and her voice had gotten so enthusiastic. She was smiling. It was her. And it was everything beautiful. Only a few seconds in, and he'd felt this cloud of warmth and excitement settling around his heart. Espio half-wished she'd go on. Then again, how long could one ramble on about the weather?

…Was this the "love" that everyone was bugging him about?

"Oh, yeah," Rachel nodded. "For a while, storms weren't even worth it if there weren't Tornado Watches at the _least_ attached to them. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings make my folks freak out… and yeah, you shouldn't be out walking in that stuff… but it's honestly old news to me."

"Well, they are dangerous," Espio commented. "The wind could break trees, there could be a bunch of lightning striking, the rain could flood an area… Only tornadoes strike your interest?"

"I mean… well… yeah, basically," Rachel replied. "They're huge and majestic and just the right amount of scary, if you're looking at it from the right angle. Hell no to being in one, but… seeing one like a storm chaser… sign me up! It's literally an item on my bucket list."

"I ask because I wondered whether you just had a general attraction to danger," said Espio.

"Ah, I see," Rachel nodded. "Probably not."

Espio gave a slight laugh (cute, honestly) before proceeding to eat the middle of his wrap.

And then, it was silent again. And was Espio still looking at her? Wait… he was. Come on, what else was there to talk about?

"…I never heard your answer to the question you all were talking about when I walked in," said Rachel.

"Bone-breaking," Espio nodded. "I've done it so many times, I've lost count. It was much more when I was just beginning."

Rachel was initially shocked before realizing something.

"That would come with training such as yours, wouldn't it?" asked Rachel.

"Certainly," said Espio. "My training carries a high amount of risk, but I personally take enjoyment in that."

"Ah," Rachel nodded, disappointed that he was finished with his statement. "So you're a sort of… danger-seeker?"

"…I suppose," said Espio.

"Well, just… this may seem ironic, but be safe," Rachel requested.

"I don't do it to get myself purposely hurt," Espio shrugged. "I'm still sitting here today, in front of you, after all these years."

"Yeah, but…" Rachel went on. "Your luck and skill may not carry you forever. Just know I get worried about you."

Espio realized that his face was starting to get warm and tried to hold back the blush, but to no avail. This wasn't the first time he'd heard someone say something along those lines. Vector had told him not to wreck himself, Amy had expressed her concern before… Even Sonic had seemed worried when he'd gained a minor injury once.

"It's been a while since I've sustained a major injury," Espio said. "As a ninja, one must be willing to put themselves in harm's way."

"I understand that," Rachel nodded. "But your saying that is not going to stop me from worrying about you."

But it meant everything coming… from her.

"…Well… thank you," said Espio. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Well, of course," Rachel smiled, feeling her face heat up a bit as well.

"And in the event you ever get an opportunity to see a tornado," Espio replied. "Don't get yourself killed. Be safe out there."

"Well, thank you," Rachel nodded, allowing herself to know that Espio cared about her. "I will."

And the day went on. January Saturdays… and this one was actually alright.


	76. Episode 74 (Ray x Marine) (reupload)

**If something seems off... yes, the first version of this chapter was deleted, and had to be replaced. I was ignorant and realized that the shipping I'd put for next time was one we've already covered. My bad! Here you go!**

 **Props: Oh, there is one powerful force that has seen this fanfic once again get brought up from near-death. I owe it all to iCosmix this time around. Dude/dudette… you are the sole reason this episode is taking place. I am eternally grateful.**

 **Reason for prior hiatus: It's as was probably deduced by now. I had no response, and therefore, Thoughts of the Unknown could not run. I was considering posting another interlude scene, but decided against it. I wanted the true magnitude of emptiness to be felt.**

* * *

As Rachel walked to the studio that colder-than-Hell February night, she put her phone in her pocket and snapped it.

It dawned on her again, the weird thing that seemed to have taken place. She'd just texted Metalla back, alerting her to the fact that she'd be away from the phone for a while. But…

Lately, she seemed to be talking with Metalla more than _Elektor_. Those two, Elektalla, were two literal cherries on a stick. They'd been doing essentially everything together. Heck, they'd gone grocery shopping together the previous week. Remembering that they actually _weren't_ an item was absolutely puzzling. Like, WHY NOT?! What are you doing to yourselves?!

Wasn't much Rachel could do about it. She quickly dove into the studio, feeling like part of an ice tray.

Roughly ten minutes later, the cameraman gave the signal, and the long-awaited next episode of Thoughts of the Unknown began.

"Hey!" Rachel beamed. "Good to see you all again, finally! Wouldn't doubt-"

She was cut off by the faintest sound. She looked up to follow it.

Indeed. One of those stinkbugs was flying around the ceiling light that hung right above the stage. A slight sense of rage appeared.

"…I guess I was right," she grumbled. "I was about to say 'I wouldn't doubt that some little critters saw a prime opportunity in this empty building.'"

This got some hearty and understanding laughs out of the audience.

"T-This species doesn't even BELONG here!" she snapped.

The laughter slowly died down.

"But you guessed it," said Rachel. "Our guest tonight has risen this shindig out of the grave. And…"

She snickered.

"This is a first," she explained. "So… our topic tonight is Ray and Marine, and their compatibility, right?"

The audience was silent. Enthused crowd.

"…Our guest tonight also has the name of Ray," Rachel laughed. "Get out here, Ray!"

With some chuckles, the audience acted in excitement as Ray the _Porcupine_ emerged from the curtain and found his seat.

"Hey, Ray!" Rachel waved as she found her seat.

She looked to the audience.

"And this is not the Ray we're shipping with Marine," she said. "…Unless he'd like to be."

Another rumble of laughter echoed through the studio. Ray did not say a word.

"I have no opinion on this, I'm afraid," Rachel sighed. "I only know their names, essentially. I would not be the proper person to talk. So Ray… the Porcupine… What do you see in these two kids?"

"I've never heard of it before!" Ray marveled. "But thinking about it, I definitely think that this could be a great pairing. Ray usually stutters and is quite a timid guy."

He coughed… and something akin to "at least in the context of the old comic universe" came out with it.

"And Marine is very enthusiastic," he went on. "Opposites do attract, don't they?"

"I mean… yeah," Rachel replied. "It's gotta happen in a very specific and… lucky way. At least, how I see it."

"I think that Marine could definitely break his shell," Ray concluded. "And the rest would be history."

"Looks like another little love waiting to sprout, then?" said Rachel.

She stood.

"Yeah, I think so," Ray nodded.

"So do I," Rachel agreed. "Certainly looks optimistic."

She looked back at the audience.

"Next week!" Rachel exclaimed.

This exclamation had some additional stress on it. Next week… let's make it happen, huh, guys?

"…Oh, yeah!" said Rachel. "Next week, we address a shipping that I've seen a couple of times! The flame seeker and the heart seeker... Silver and Amy, everyone. We'll be discussing them! See you all then!"

And with that, the camera flipped off, and Ray and Rachel went backstage.

Rachel did notice something: There was a little oddly-calming thing about hearing the audience's chatter now. In the very beginning of this chapter of her life, it had been like dozens of individual nails going into her skin… individual bullets emerging from her pores… but now, it was almost like a low rumble that gave the studio some substance.

She barely had time to think about this, though, before she realized, entirely too late, that her foot had caught on something.

What that something was, she couldn't necessarily feel through her boot… but what was absolute was that it was heavy and sturdy enough to trap her foot just too long for her to free it before she fell forward and to the floor. There was a bit of commotion with the object, which she auditorally identified as a pile of metal things.

She lifted herself up and looked back. It was a cloth bag… filled with shurikens?

Welp, she wondered who could have been here. Why, though? Was she… really that close of a friend?

She then wondered how she could have tripped over something so stupidly simple to dodge. Going through waves of defeat, and hearing some swift footsteps quickly getting louder, she simply lowered herself, pouted, and rested her chin on the floor.

Soon, the voice she'd fully known was coming asked her "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm alright," she sighed, looking up at Espio the Chameleon, who'd asked her.

The aversion of crisis, though, didn't seem to calm Espio down a single bit. She didn't budge, but could hear everything he did in the next few moments… and it did strike Rachel as interesting how anxious he seemed to be because of all this.

Espio, meanwhile, was trying to amend a _sin_ … in his mind. He was shaking, almost seeming to do everything wrong.

"I… This was very careless of me…" he fretted, picking up the bag of shurikens and placing it on a nearby couch. "It completely escaped my mind, and… are you sure you're okay?"

"Completely fine," Rachel laughed. "It's actually sort of comfy down here."

"Oh, is it?" Espio asked with a laugh. She was… okay with this? She was just too forgiving for her own good!

"Yeah," she said, flipping over so she was on her back. "I dunno. I don't get proper lumbar support or something, so being on the floor can be relaxing once in a while."

"Hmm," Espio thought aloud. "Have you ever tried a massage?"

"Used to get them as a kid," Rachel shrugged. "Not so much anymore. Besides, don't those usually cost a life's savings? I've personally found something much more relaxing. Doesn't help my muscles, but it seriously sends so much more relaxation through my body… and it's usually free."

"What's that?" asked Espio.

"Being held by someone I love," Rachel answered with a smile.

"Hmm," Espio nodded. "I see. That can be very relaxing."

A brief moment of silence crept through the studio. If one listened hard enough, a brief click of Elektor's mouse could be heard through the wall.

"You're likely wondering what brings us here," said Espio.

"Ah… sure," Rachel laughed.

"Actually, Nicole said she was coming here," Espio explained. "She sees something in one of your guests and wanted to know if he was here."

"Dang," said Rachel. "Now I'm sad that he's not. Poor Nicole. I know the feeling."

"Vector proposed that we tag along and check in on you as well," Espio went on. "I was glad to take the offer."

"Aww, really?" Rachel blushed, looking at him.

In response, he gave a sincere nod while looking her square in the eye.

And to Rachel's dismay, a few butterflies still flew in her stomach. Would this, perhaps, be a permanent reaction?

Somehow, a few odd neurons fired in her mind, and she was reminded of something else as a result. It was actually the major thought she'd had for a week or so.

"Hey, Espio?" Rachel asked. "Forgive me if this seems like a stupid question… but… considering Mario's cast and Sonic's cast have collaborated so much, and Mario's cast definitely doesn't live on Mobius… that would mean there's a whole other world not far from Mobius, right?"

Espio was struck, for once running into a void of nothing when it came to answers. Why was she wondering this, anyway? Just a thought?

"…I… I think I've heard that they're from a nearby planet," Espio answered.

"So it is true!" Rachel exclaimed. "What do you think it's like there?"

"It does not strike me as a place that is too different from Mobius," Espio replied.

Hmm… Rachel would definitely have to keep Espio's answers in mind.

* * *

 **Author's note: I don't know if there's an actual scientific explanation as to how Mario and Sonic can come together if they are from completely different places. In my mind, Mobius and Mario's planet are close by.**

 **Author's warning: I have said it once or twice before. There will come a point where Thoughts of the Unknown will… dare I say it… run dry. There are only so many Sonic shippings out there that fit into the criteria of being discussable on the grounds that A). they are arguable (no expectation of a unanimous answer of "no"), and B.) at least one of the characters is somewhat known to most people (I don't want to bring up people that nobody has any idea about). I will alert you all when this time grows nearer. To help prolong the shindig, topic ideas can always be given! Not all of them will be done, but every one will be considered!**


	77. Episode 75 (Silver x Amy)

**Props: Reaver17, thank you so much for making this episode possible! And thank you, one known as "Johnathen," for your passion. It means the world to know that this story I've poured my heart into is worth a response!**

 **Reason for lateness: I was mid-way through this chapter before both my brain and energy decided to conk out. One point, and I just... derped. The sleep was much needed.**

* * *

Rachel had her head in her hands as she sat on a backstage couch, and Elektor was seated right next to her, having just asked what was wrong.

"I've had a real… up-and-down day, you could say," Rachel responded. "So once a month, our high school hands treats out to the seniors. Yeah, well… this month's was ALL CHOCOLATE. Couldn't eat any part of it! I don't think I've ever felt so utterly defeated in a while."

"Man, I'll never stop feeling sorry for you," Elektor said, with a chuckle, but still sympathetically. "Chocolate's a luxury."

"Yeah, well, it's unhealthy," Rachel sighed.

"Not in moderation, it's not," Elektor argued. "It's very healthy if you don't eat too much."

"…ANYWAY…" Rachel groaned. "Then, I realized that with my schedule, I'm one of the only ones who'll still have to wake up at 6:30 on Monday. I mean, I'll get to go home for lunch, but… damn…"

A brief silence.

Then, she'd run into the celebrity news show that reported the new suspicious clues that Silver saw Blaze as more than a friend. It didn't hit her as hard as she thought it would… a moment's hurricane of relief, pride, painful memories, and potential regret, but that was really it… lingering… bringing back the thoughts of all those years…

"…I did get to go for a walk, though," she continued. "It got nice out, and it was really peaceful to hear all the kids playing. The stereotype is for them to all be on their smartphones, but they were playing just like _we_ did when we were kids. It's such a small thing, but it was seriously comforting. I also saw a couple of boys who seemed to be playing Pokemon Go, which was amusing."

"That's still a thing?" asked Elektor.

"Wouldn't doubt it," Rachel shrugged. "It's an engaging game."

"Ah," Elektor nodded.

"And I'm trying to ask my mom about something important," said Rachel. "I mean… it's about ME, but she refuses to-"

She was cut off by her sudden sensation of a roar. A grand, rumbling roar at that. She jumped a bit at the initial impact, but was more chilled by how freakin' ominous and utterly scary it was.

Elektor, meanwhile, let out a little squeal.

They looked back, seeing Void laughing maniacally and first realizing that they hadn't snapped… secondly getting the brief urge to punch the punk straight in the gabba.

"Hey, guys!" Void chortled. "You miss me?"

He then proceeded to put his arms around Rachel and Elektor, in a sort of group hug. Rachel half-laughed at the revelation that she'd just been had.

"Long time no see!" Void beamed. "And it is fantastic to see you all, indeed!"

"Where even were you?" asked Rachel.

"Yeah, dude!" Elektor added. "I thought you just had some… exam or something."

"Well, I'm afraid that's classified," Void answered, a little more gleefully than it probably should have been. "Hush-hush kinda stuff. You know how it is. Er, well… actually, I guess you don't."

Rachel and Elektor shot each other confused glances. Elektor even gave a one-armed shrug, and Rachel even wondered if some wedding was going down or something.

"But regardless!" said Void. "We are going out tonight, and I am buying everybody drinks!"

"Are we… old enough to-" Rachel tried to ask.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my drinking below ten pints," Void promised. "We'll have some laughs, I can bring Nic…"

His breath prolonged the "C" for a bit too long. He was frozen. Something had hit him, definitely. Something had hit him so hard that the scarily-excited smile of his fell right from that to something of horror. Void's _own_ horror.

"Oh crap, I gotta call Nicole!" he cried, running out of the room. "She is going to KILL me!"

Soon enough, his footsteps could be heard being taken to the break room. Once they were there, they stopped, and the break room door closed. For once.

Rachel and Elektor merely stared at each other again.

"What in the actual-" Elektor tried to ask.

"I have a theory, but it's far-fetched and most likely incorrect," Rachel told him. "It's probably best for that to be kept hush-hush, too."

But indeed. What the actual hell was going on in their buddy's life?

Just minutes later, the eager audience got their eager faces, and the ready-to-please hostess put on her best ready-to-please face. Lights and camera… and go.

"So I saw some kids playing Pokemon Go today," Rachel laughed. "…I remember, when that was the big thing, I thought (and hoped) it'd never die out. It died out of the mainstream, for the most part, but it still seems to be going strong. Did I play it? I didn't have data, and I was bedridden all summer, so… nope. I may play it someday. Welcome, everyone, to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The applause was at its usual best. Ah, it was great.

"So this week… we have a couple of strivers," said Rachel. "One going for peace to the world, and one going for the heart of another hedgehog which is not this one. Well… that debunks this immediately, doesn't it? Silver and Amy… yeah, I think I dug my own grave on that one. At the MOST, this could be a one-sided thing on Silver's part. If Amy's latched onto Sonic's heart like the edge of a cliff, this isn't happening. Judging by recent news, I don't believe anything would happen on Silver's side, either. Well… recent news aside… it was super nice of him to make finding Sonic a team effort, despite Amy's real awkward introduction. Huh… I don't necessarily want to attach the ol' PUSC (Possible Under Specific Circumstances) to this one because I feel as if it could be _more_ possible than that. Well.. alright. If things were different… if circumstances change… I say this could be possible. Silvamy is only defeated by circumstances, the way I see it. Well, I've rambled enough. Let's get our guest out here. Folks… our Resident Dream Crusher is back. Void, get on out here!"

The studio came alive with excitement yet again, and Void almost seemed to dance to the beat of it all as he bowed, waved his tail, made his way to his trademark seat of destruction, and said "Hello! Great to be back! Oh, I missed this thing."

…Interesting. Normally, when someone destroys an expensive chair, some bitterness is thrown around, and that's about it. Without this chair having been obliterated as it had, what would have happened?

"Heyo, Void!" Rachel smiled, finding her own seat.

"So…" Void started to laugh.

At this, his laugh took on the façade of a more evil cackle. It slowly grew louder until he had burst into a fit of it, at which point it was back to a laugh of pure and unaltered amusement.

"Oh MAN, what a way to be welcomed back!" he chuckled.

"Yeah, of course…" Rachel laughed sheepishly.

If Void had anything to say about it, he'd have to say it to both her and Elektor.

"I mean, c'mon… seriously?" asked Void. "Amy Rose with Silver?" He rubbed his palms. "Okay, so let's see… on one side of the relationship, we have a temperamental, aggressive, dominating, and downright relentless girl who doesn't take no for an answer."

"I actually want to imagine something," Rachel proposed. "What would happen if Silver was the object of her affections this entire time, rather than Sonic? I almost feel as if poor Silver would be pressured into the relationship. Or he could run off, like Sonic does."

"That would be a show," Void nodded. "Silver himself is a calm, quiet, calculated, level-headed dude who, just by that description, should totally run for a political office of some sort."

"Yo, Silver for President!" Rachel laughed. "PLEASE, make that happen!"

"Yeah," Void agreed. "Get him in there to solve the mess we've already got going on!"

The studio rumbled as literally everyone in it chuckled to their heart's contents.

"Anyway," Void continued. "Taking all this under the fact that ol' Silv does NOT have a thing for crazy, lovesick fangirls…"

He smirked. Rachel could definitely have sworn that she was the target of this smirk.

"At least, I think he doesn't…"

What sort of implication was he making?

"Amy really is not his type of gal," Void went on, getting back into agreeable territory. "Dude like Silver really needs a steadier and less… volatile… partner. If those two were together through some miracle of the universe, then Silver would NEVER be able to disagree with her."

Void was right. All the way right. Man, poor Silver…

"Like, EVER," Void said.

Rachel just had to laugh "Oh, the horror!"

"Right?" said Void. "Well… not unless he enjoys pain, which is really just not healthy."

Some people were into that kind of thing. Dear Chaos, don't let that be one of Silver's things… seriously…

"And then," Void went on. "We have Amy who is… Amy. Not quite IMPRESSIVE enough, I think, for Silv's taste, which is totally fine. She's a little girlier than I think he's going for."

He coughed, and a strained "Blaze" came out with it before he coughed again. Yup. It was all over the news, and nobody would be able to let it go.

"And honestly," Void wrapped up. "If she is going to have any kind of meaningful relations, she really needs to tone down the 'self-proclaimed girlfriend' kind of vibe…"

He got this dastardly grin on his face.

"You think, if we stuck those two in a giant washing machine," he chuckled. "Silver would come out with pink quills?"

The audience really roared with laughter in response to this one.

"Slightly pink," Rachel said. "I think he'd be more pink if he was stuck in there with Knuckles."

This sent another wave of laughter throughout the studio. Rachel stood up and waited for it all to subside a bit.

Once it finally got somewhat quiet, Rachel spoke up.

"Well, I guess we have our answer," she shrugged. "I mainly think about how helpful they were to each other in Sonic 06… or not helpful… but yeah, there is no way. Anyway, next week…"

The Chaotix were out on some huge mission, weren't they? Alright… she could safely do this.

"We're going to be addressing a certain ninja for the next few weeks," she stated. "I've seen these ships floating around… two of them for near to no reason… and I need a second… or third or fifth… opinion. For the next few weeks, this studio is going to have Espio on the brain."

The audience's murmurs spelled interest.

"Next week, we're going to start with how he's paired with… someone I don't think he's ever met," said Rachel. "…Some people paired Espio with Sonia, and I wanna know why. I will see you all then!"


	78. Episode 76 (Espio x Sonia)

**Props: Thank you so much, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Reaver17 for making this at all possible! I feel so bad that you two must put up with me and my lateness, but I'm grateful you have!**

 **Reason for lateness: This one's all on me. Yesterday at school, I had written two essays from scratch, and no matter how much I knew I had to write Thoughts of the Unknown, I was just** _ **burnt out**_ **. That said, I still feel like writing as if the episode happened when it was supposed to.**

* * *

"Whoooaa! Don't wake me up like that! I almost fell down!"

Said Void… hanging from the ceiling by his tail and the claws on his feet.

Both he and Rachel ended up shooting each other confused stares. Rachel was trying to form original words, and Void was a bit hurt that she seemed so perplexed.

"Well, yeah, of course I sleep upside down!" said Void. "Don't you?"

"I'd consider it," Rachel shrugged. "If all the blood in my body wouldn't go to my head if I did so."

After a second, Void oriented himself and dropped down to the floor, on his feet.

"I showed up a little early," he explained. "So I thought I'd have myself a little nap. So how are you?"

"My life is at a standstill," Rachel sighed. "I get the impression yours is really moving along." She still had one impression, and until Void presented the conclusive evidence to shoot it down, she was not backing off of it.

"Me?" Void replied, noticing her emphasis. "Oh, I'm fine… Yeah, fine."

He wasn't fine. At least, not "nothing's changed" fine. He couldn't be.

"I'm just a little out of it after the… er, I have to check something. See you during the show." Void then walked toward the break room again, muttering to himself. Despite her best efforts, Rachel could not decipher any words out of it.

Tired after something… Had it already happened? The mystery continued to dance in her head.

In fact, it was the last thing she thought about before she kicked into a hostess mode and saw the frontmost cameraman point her way. She was onstage, Thorn and Void were behind the curtain, and the show was live.

"Guys, I just want to alert you of something," Rachel stated. "If you don't have food allergies… PLEASE do not take your gut's purity for granted! The senior treat that we were given last week was all chocolate. I couldn't have a lick of it, and my classmates were complaining about it being 'bad.' Well, at least they could eat it! Just… thank everything that you can digest the delicious things. It's a privilege."

Thorn and Void were quietly laughing at just how heated that monologue had gotten. Some of the audience was nodding in understanding. Rachel even saw a moose turning to his friend and muttering something along the lines of "Yeah, you jerk. Don't take it for granted."

"So this week, and for a few weeks, we'll be pinning various people with the task of stealing a ninja's heart," said Rachel. "As far as I know, they will really be women. The only Yaoi pairing I could even remotely see Espio being a part of is Vecpio, and that was one of this fine show's very first episodes. I mean… unless anyone sees Espio and Shadow having any chemistry."

A brief pause, in which some surprisingly approving muttering was circulating among the crowd.

"…Actually, yeah," Rachel nodded. "We'll do that next week, alright? I… well, I suppose I'll give my opinions then. This week, we're pairing him up with many of the princesses that Sonic's met along the way of his life. This is the princess that's related to him. This week, it's Espio and Sonia. I really cannot condone this, simply on the grounds that they've never met. If they did meet… hmm… from what I hear, she's high-maintenance, and Espio's really independent… but for some reason, I can't eliminate the possibility. Perhaps the "opposites attract" theory could work here. I dunno. Maybe it's just because they're similar colors."

Laughter rang throughout the studio.

"I have two guests with me tonight to help us see how these two match up," said Rachel. "Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn and Void!"

Usual cheers, usual screams, usual looks of pride on the guests' faces as they found their seats, usual Rachel taking her usual seat… usually so wonderful.

"So… how does this look?" asked Rachel.

"The ninja and the princess?" said Thorn. "Maybe…. I could see Sonia having a crush on him, though I'm not sure if I see it going the other way around…"

That Espio must have been a total chick magnet. Half of her wanted to say that, but… no.

"Sonia is a little stuck up – in my opinion – though is considerate and respectful," Thorn went on. "Loyal to the end. Espio is also loyal, and is respectful of all things. He even admits when he's wrong."

"That's such a basic expectation," said Rachel. "It's kinda sad how we highlight when we actually see it."

"The universe, man," said Void.

"Yup," Thorn sighed. "Well, now that I think about it, these two may make a good team, as relationship partners and such."

"…So you see it!" said Rachel, feeling a mixture she couldn't really pin down. Was that the joy that a pairing was fully approved of on the show for once? Was that the bite that Espio _did_ look good with someone else?

"Yeah… well, it's interesting," Void said, breaking the silence. "Maybe? I mean, there isn't really a whole lot to say about this ship. It really could go either way, but for the sake of my reputation, I'm gonna say no. My reasons are that minus the whole fact they're both from different Zones, Espio is… Well, I guess he's a little… Okay, he's Espio. There isn't quite a way to describe him properly."

"Espio" is a synonym for many words, Void. What are you saying? Rachel asked this question in her head, hoping that by some slim chance, Void's head would pick it up.

"Sonia, on the other hand," Void continued. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but she's spoiled."

Point seemed pretty sharp.

"She grew up rich," Void explained. "And as a result, she's high-maintenance, snobby… and oh MAN, is she vain. Chaos forbid her hair gets dirty, or you'll never hear the end of it."

"Well, now we know he couldn't put her through ninja training," said Thorn.

"Meanwhile, Espio is the complete opposite," said Void. "He's humble, he's quiet… Give him a few knives, a rag, and a bottle of polish, and he's happy. The pair have _literally_ nothing in common… I think… and you know I mean it because I don't even have a joke to make about them."

So was making jokes a sign of insecurity? What is this? Agh, there went Rachel's mind again… off the rails, as always…

"I see," she said. "So we actually have a sort of divide here… that is, if you, Thorn, are sure that they could work."

"I just said they'd make a good team," Thorn shrugged. "…Which is what a couple is… isn't it?"

"Definitely," said Rachel. "So this one is up for debate."

She stood.

"I understand how some may think that we, here at Thoughts of the Unknown, may have a straight bias," she said. "However, this is not necessarily true. It may seem like it for other reasons. Really, my producer and I pick the topics that have a fair balance of 'yes' and 'no.' Look at us tonight; we have a clean balance of opinion! This is perfect! It's just that throwing any two people together does not necessarily work. There aren't many Yaoi or Yuri ships that are hinted at in Sonic's canon, or that don't seem absolutely ridiculous. Next week's, however, is an exception, for it's curious. Espio and Shadow have an interesting bond… so we'd like to hear how easily it could become an official pair. We'll be discussing that next week. See you all then!"


	79. Episode 77 (Espio x Shadow)

**Props: Thank you so very much, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT and Reaver17, for the OCs and opinions!**

 **And thank you, one known as "Johnathen," for your enthusiasm. Your reasoning is quite sound, I will give you that. And it means a whole awful lot that you're trying to keep Thoughts of the Unknown alive.**

* * *

"So… this one's actually from today," Rachel said to her audience as the cameras went on.

Yup. Her throat was still sore. Three weeks out of the year where she was destined to be sick, and Mother Nature was right on par… again…

"I was at the grocery store, right?" she explained. "My mom's paying for groceries, and I look over at the scratch-off machine. As it would turn out, someone had left a dollar of credit in there. So I got myself a free scratch-off thanks to an anonymous person! Thank you, anonymous person! I… didn't win anything, though."

Most of the audience got a decent laugh.

"…And yes, I am an adult," Rachel made sure to state. "I turned 18 in December. Anyway, welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience gave her their usual cheery welcome. Vigor. Everywhere.

"So this week, we continue the 'Stealing Espio's Heart' saga," she said. "And this week, we're putting a Yaoi shipping on the table. Shadow the Hedgehog. He's constantly packing heat in his hands, yet it seems to be a common perception that his heart's an arctic wasteland. So… how would he be by the side of a ninja? I went ahead with this one really because they have a rather decent companionship. I specifically recall their exchange in Shadow's game. Espio, at the very least, really looked out for Shadow in insisting that Eggman was trying to trick him into thinking he was an android. They have a decent comradery. But quite honestly… it may just be that. Perhaps, if they both turned out to be gay, this could really take off. The both of them are real hotties, for one thing. That brooding demeanor that girls faint over… as they have daydreams of melting their icy hearts… They've both got it. However, as things currently stand… I don't see any clues. No clues, you know? In shipping someone, you normally have some telltale signs to go off of. Did they look at each other a certain way? Have some choice words been thrown around? Things like that. I see none of that with these two. No sparks. So I am giving this one a PUSC rating. Possible Under Specific Circumstances rating. This is one of those that I've… actually seen some rather fridged-up stuff about. Lemon and lime fics, and whatnot… er…"

And thus, she was that sliver more judged than ever before.

"Let's get our guests out here, how about it?" she said. "Please welcome Thorn and Void back to the stage!"

The audience went from its hostile silence to its enthused applause as Thorn found a clean seat, and Void approached his half-a-seat. It was practically half what it was before, for most of the stuffing had been ripped out of it.

Void hadn't made any reference to this mysterious event that he'd been through this time. Normally, before the show, he'd go from chill to speedster in nanoseconds, for reasons that related to Nicole. Not this week. He came in, they got into position, and the show began.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel smiled, taking her own seat. "Let's get started."

"The ninja and the weapon…" said Thorn. "That sounds like some cheesy movie, to be honest. They both are quiet, introverted, and calm in bad situations, though Espio is humble. Shadow… Eh, it's debatable."

"You mean the guy who calls Sonic 'Faker' and boasts his 'Ultimate Lifeform' title?" said Rachel. "'This is who I am.' That guy. Humblest guy I'd ever met."

And now, Rachel proceeded to pray that Shadow would not proceed to murder her in cold blood.

"Yep," Thorn laughed. "Shadow is a bit brash and somewhat harsh, while Espio is more laid back and levelheaded. I know for a fact that these two would make pretty good teammates, though it is very debatable about them being lovers. A PUSC for this one."

She reached into her pocket and withdrew what appeared to be a red button of some sort. A simple red button, encircled by a gray base. She pressed it, and it let out a disapproving buzz.

"Huh," Rachel replied to that.

"This ship… is not actually in need of crushing," Void reported.

And in that snap, Rachel's and Thorn's eyes were in his direction.

"It might just work," Void stated. "Never thought I'd say THAT about a shipping involving my oh-so-edgy relative. Bit of a kindred-spirits thing going on here with the quiet and serious demeanors, blunt attitudes, general badassery… er… badassness?"

"I liked 'badassery' better," said Rachel.

"Not important," said Void. "But sure, I think they seem to have a lot in common. Even the overconfidence and hotheadedness is a trait with them both thinking they are invincible."

Void let out a humble laugh.

"Though I guess that might be true for Shads," he said. "Espio usually opts to walk in alone to dangerous situations because of his invisibility. There's a bit of a wrinkle, though. Those two start arguing? Everybody had better get out of the way. Other than that, though, I think it could work… Oh dear, Espio had better keep his knives locked up if that happens. Shadow does not need access to sharp objects."

"I mean, I can't say for sure," said Rachel. "But I feel like Shadow's attacks would be unfocused, and Espio could be able to deflect them all. Doesn't make your point wrong, though. Let's just keep it to guns with that guy, alright?"

She stood.

"So… this is apparently plausible!" she said. "That's interesting. Maybe there's some hidden chemistry here I'm not seeing. Anyway… who are we pairing the ninja up with next? Welp… I think the only one we had left on the list to pair him up with is the yandere of Mobius. I've actually seen some sweet fics of this one! And I mean, like, genuinely adorable. Nothing messed up. It's probably out there, but I haven't seen it. Espio's been paired with Amy, and some actually have made it super adorable! But is it really? We find out next time! See you all then!"

The cameramen turned off their cameras and attended to them. The audience, with all their excited chatter, started flooding out of the studio.

Rachel, for once, stayed onstage and tried to make any coherent words out of the chatter. It was something she did as a habit every time until she got backstage. What were they saying? What were their words after they saw what she ran?

…How would they react if they learned that she was moving away from the area in about six months?

It really caught up to her every time she thought about it. She had to, to attend college. To eventually become a radiologist and have a hand in saving lives.

Three hours… away from all of this. It was both a relief and a disaster.

On one hand, she would be escaping all the emotional chaos. Silver… Espio… The both of them would be behind her.

On the other hand… all the companionship was such a huge thing to give up.

Meanwhile, a nervous Void was observing how spaced-out Rachel seemed. His tail was quivering a bit, and he grinded his teeth together. He was a mix of anxious and curious. What was she thinking about to be so absent?

And… welp… here goes…

"Hey, Rachel!" he said.

And thus, Rachel went from "I'm leaving soon" to "Void needs something from me."

"Ah, hello!" she said.

"Great job, as always, on the show!" Void smiled.

"Aww, thanks!" Rachel laughed. "It means a whole lot to hear you say that!"

"I-I'm sorry to bother you, but…" said Void. "Well, Nicole has been bugging me to tell you about my… little absence, so I thought it would be best to have everyone's concerns laid to rest when we're all in the same place, so… you think you could get Nicole a ticket for the next show? You know, so she's there. Plus, it also has the added bonus points of me getting her a ticket to her favorite talk show, so… what do you say?"

"Wait, favorite?!" said Rachel. "Aww, you're kidding! Well… unfortunately… I wouldn't want to just _give_ someone a free ticket. It just… feels unfair, I guess you could say. However, I can offer a heavily-discounted one! It's normally $60 a pop, but I can offer Nicole one for $20. What do you say?"


	80. Episode 78 (Espio x Amy)

**Props: Thank you so very much, to the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" and Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT for the OCs and opinions. And another round of thanks to the former for providing the topics for the next couple of weeks!**

* * *

"Moving companies?" asked Rachel.

She was standing by an orange couch, having just glanced at Elektor's phone screen. Indeed, Elektor was sitting on said couch, going over the rates for one of Mobius's most widespread companies for moving trucks.

"Yeah, moving companies," Elektor responded.

Silence.

"Wait, are you moving?" Rachel asked, with a hint of fear. Why wouldn't he have told her?!

"No, no," Elektor laughed. "Don't worry! This is actually for Metalla."

Silence. And "click" went some jigsaw pieces in Rachel's mind.

"I'll get out of your way!" she said, walking toward the stage. "Keep up the hard work!"

What seemed like a short time later, the show was up and running. Lights, camera, gossip. Wow… Rachel was suddenly unsure of herself thinking of it in those words…

"So my anecdote tonight is more of a restaurant recommendation," she said. "If you're up in Harbor Town, which is roughly half an hour north of here, you HAVE to go to Roxa's for a meal. I was just up there, and… thanks to digestive issues, I had to settle with a ham sandwich. What was so cool, though… It was practically a burger. It was ham, but it was the size of a burger, on burger buns. It was huge. And I really appreciate them for that. According to those I've heard from, their burgers are to die for, too! So… restaurant recommendation out of the way, what are we talking about tonight? Tonight… we're actually wrapping up the 'Stealing the Ninja's Heart' saga for a few weeks. I assure you, he will be back. We still have one more to go. But that's in a few weeks. Tonight, we're pairing the ninja with the yandere. Somebody tell me when that's ever been a happy story. In general, I mean. With this… it could definitely work _should Amy calm down_. Call me a bit biased because I've read a really sweet fanfic on this… I wish I could remember the name so I could recommend it… Basically, if she wasn't _so after Sonic_ … or after Sonic at all, I suppose… I feel as if her sweet demeanor could have a chance of swaying Espio's heart. Sweetness, I think, would really catch his eye. And I mean… aside from her obsession, Amy's really the generic hopeless romantic. There are several types of 'perfect man' that I think she could fall for… one being the perfect, mysterious ninja. I feel as if in these manners, they do have a chance of falling for each other. Of course… on Amy's side, this is not so. Even if it wasn't an obsession, this will not go anywhere whatsoever so long as she is in love with someone else. So that's what I have to say. We have two guests here tonight to give their opinions."

Meanwhile, behind the curtain, a certain alien prince felt his entire being go cold as he knew the time was near. Thorn, who was waiting beside him, noticed this and felt concerned the poor thing would faint at some point.

Back onstage, Rachel announced "One's made this studio her home… and she will be helping me to welcome a new member to the family. I'll introduce them one at a time. First, please join me in welcoming Thorn back to the stage!"

The audience gave their wild cheers as Thorn strode onstage and to her chair.

"Our new guest… I know he's one of those people who's a walking story," Rachel said. "Please welcome to our stage, and to our family… Toxic S. Dracro!"

Ah, the sound of the audience. They exploded with overwhelming support. Rachel could feel every smile of it, and she hoped with all she had that it would welcome Toxic properly.

Toxic himself? He initially crept onstage from behind the curtain, then felt an overwhelming amount of something pushy and dashed to the empty seat next to Thorn, then lowered his head and flattened his ears. Toxic himself had the appearance of a hedgehog, but had the claws, fangs, and aqua-blue eyes of a cat. He had upturned quills, of black with green stripes, a semi-white fluff of fur on his chest, white fingerless gloves with spiked silver rings on his wrists, and green-and-white shoes that were lined with steel. Part of his left ear was torn off somehow! That must have been a story in and of itself!

"H-Hi, Toxic," said Rachel. Ah, the ice that surrounded the fellow…

Toxic looked at Rachel, then to the audience.

"H-Hi, everyone," he stuttered.

Despite Rachel's best efforts, she seriously could not bring herself to ask the question. It made her really think about it, too; such an intrusive question for the first-

"T-The question you ask everyone," said Toxic. "I know. It's… o-okay, I'll a-answer i-it. Uh, I-I do have s-someone I like… H-Her name is Blaze the Cat."

There seemed to be a mild reaction from the rest of the studio. Honestly… if Rachel had to tally, she'd likely heard Blaze as the most frequent answer to this question. Hmm… She thought it would have been Rouge or Shadow, but… eh. I guess Blaze really had a lot, huh?

"We can go to you first," said Rachel. "Espio and Amy. Setting fire to the ninja's heart or his kunai?"

"I d-don't see it happening a-anytime in the future," Toxic responded. "Espio is t-too calm, and… well… He's k-kinda too mature a-as well. Amy is w-way too hyper and 'boy-crazy' t-to be in a serious r-relationship."

Any relationship at all?! Well… he was probably right.

"I-I just don't see it w-working out," he concluded, before looking down and fidgeting with a watch that was on his right wrist. Hmm… Rachel was surprised that more people weren't this frozen with fear being on TV. To be honest, she was surprised _she_ wasn't an ice block sometimes, especially at first.

…How had her novels turned into running a talk show about celebrities, anyway? Silver, really. She and Elektor had just been talking, pelting ideas at each other… and her at-the-time obsession with Silver inadvertently caused this flower to bloom. Ha… was this worth an actual "thank you" to the man?

"I see," she nodded. "Yeah… The way she is now, I get the feeling Espio would find it hard to even coexist with her within, like, a 100-foot radius. Thorn, do you see this any differently?"

"Well, as you said last episode," said Thorn. "Amy could very well be the 'Yandere' of Mobius. I suggest playing that game if you haven't already, by the way."

"Yandere Simulator?" Rachel asked. "I don't have a PC that can run much of any game."

"Shucks," Thorn replied. "Anyway, Amy… She's clingy, a bit too loving, and majorly protective, as well as stubborn… Espio… He's more of a 'lone chameleon' kind of guy, and – in my opinion – he doesn't need someone with Amy's exact personality set in his life as a lover. You know? So, for this shipping, this is what I say."

She reached into her pocket and withdrew the same buzzer from the previous week. She then pressed it in the exact same way, and it buzzed in its exact same fashion.

"Wait, so…" Rachel asked. "Is that the 'PUSC' button or the 'like cats and dogs' button?"

A few seconds went by, and she never got an answer. She stood.

Some sort of ringing noise, almost like that of a cell phone, suddenly came from Toxic's general direction. She felt her blood bubble a bit. She never thought she'd have to say that there were no cellular devices allowed on stage.

Meanwhile, Toxic was half-considering sprinting offstage.

"So the answer's pretty clear on this one," she said, through her irritation. "The way things currently stand, there really is no way Espio would even remotely let this happen. So… next week… we dip our feet into a shipping that's already canon. Just because it's true, doesn't mean that it will both stick around and be wildly approved of. And I will unfortunately have no opinion, as I know neither of these fine souls. Ash and Mina. As bystanders, would our guests go down with the ship or want to sink the ship? We shall see next time on Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience started to flow out of the room, as did the three stars of the show through the curtain.

Toxic did so with a dash. His eyes immediately locked onto the curtain hiding the storage area and made his way toward it.

As it would turn out, it was his watch that was making the noise. It was his watch that had decided to embarrass him on television. He fiddled with it, pressing a tiny fast-forward-esque button on it until the ringing stopped.

At this point, his face had cooled down a bit, and he felt like he could face the others again. Somehow. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Rachel was picking up a coat and a bag… and that the camera guys were carrying their cameras his way. He sighed and walked up to Rachel, partly to get out of their way.

"Hey, Rachel?" he asked.

Rachel noticed him and replied "Oh, hey! Great job tonight!"

She pitied the soul.

"Hey, uh…" said Toxic. "Do you know if any celebrity guests are appearing or not?"

"…Not as a _guest_ guest like you, no," Rachel replied. "I thought Nicole may have been an audience member, but… I dunno anymore."

Being left to wonder always made her feel helpless. What gave with Void? He said he'd consider the offer and never got back with her! Wait… Was he trying to build up the suspense, the clever son-of-a-clan he was?!

Toxic nodded slowly, saying "Alright, I'm off, then. Gotta win a match of cupcake world war 3…"

At that, he walked through the door. He zipped right off.

What kinda personality was this guy?


	81. Episode 79 (Ash x Mina)

**Props: Thank you so undoubtedly much to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, Reaver17, the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish," and the one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy" for your OCs and opinions! Welcome to the family… Guy! Or Mayhem, I suppose I should say. And don't worry; both reviews made it through to me. If it's no trouble, I deleted the first one when I went through the guest review approval process.**

 **And thank you again, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", for the shipping suggestions!**

* * *

The studio held a quite usual and nonchalant routine scene. People were standing around. The real story was in where they stood… and reading the story had the excitement of going over the grocery list for the second time.

Elektor and the main camera guy, who had a name (it was Trevor) were speaking over by the storage area.

Elektor had to restrain himself from making the comment every damn week, and Trevor knew it… but seriously, Trevor's resemblance to the one Silver the Hedgehog was quite uncanny. His fur may have been a shade or two darker than Silver's… more like melting snow than that freshly-fallen… but he had the two quills that went back, one on either side. His eyes were also the same shade of gold as that of a city sunset. It was ridiculous!

"I've made the joke before that-" Elektor tried to begin.

"That I'm Silver's older brother, right?" Trevor sighed. "Yeah… you have."

Rachel, the production's hostess, had just gotten there and was looking through her bag to find her phone, as to turn it to silent. Quite a few times within the span of a minute, she paused… yanked out of reality and into her thoughts again…

Then, there were the eager guests of the night. Mostly eager, if one took a look at the one known as Toxic before speaking.

So far, there were three. One who paraded the stage as if she'd built it herself, one who still found himself a shaking mess despite being able to say he'd walked this stage before… and a newcomer to the scene.

This newcomer went by the name of Mayhem the Shapeshifter. One month off the age of legal majority, he stood as a mix of a wolf, python, and dragon. That is, that's how he stood _now_. To paint the picture… he was a wolf of nearly space-black fur. He observed his new surroundings with the sights of his snake-like eyes. There were peacock-green highlights on his hair, which was quite ruffled, as well as his arms and tail. The highlights on his arms and tail looked almost like bright green flames. Like the flames of Babahlese ink, in Rachel's mind's eye. He donned a grey trench coat, further reminding Rachel that she needed to find a trench coat of her own. His feet stepped from within blue and black boots. His hands gestured from within light grey gloves. His right ear was decorated with the décor of a silver hoop.

"This ought to be interesting," he said to himself. His words surfed on a hiss. As if he was a talking snake.

Rachel, who had put her phone back in her bag, and at this point, the excited murmur of the audience began in a low rumble.

…Maybe THIS week, Nicole would be one of them?

…Or… She knew Void had called in to confirm that "everything was going to happen properly this time…" but where in all of hell-

The door from outside swung open, and in walked the _happy_ couple. Huh… happy? Did Void's eyes ever expand like that, and could his tail sit down for even a second?

Nicole looked _peeved_. SCARY peeved. Everyone actually shut themselves right up.

"I don't care if things have been hectic," she snapped. "You could've at least given her a call!"

But he did this time… Rachel wanted to point out. She kept her mouth shut, just like the others.

Void caught sight of Nicole's frown… and _smiled_?! It was a sheepish smile, but… smiled…

"I'm sorry, Nikki!" he told her. "I was just… you know! Something came up, they asked for another test…"

"Did the test prohibit cell reception?" asked Nicole, a bit more steam coming from her head. "I thought something bad happened, you jerk!"

Wait… OH, if _that_ had happened last week… Was Nicole in the audience last week, and Rachel never noticed?! No… She had to quit doing such conclusion-jumping.

"I don't even OWN a cell phone!" Void argued. "The signals make my tendrils curl! And where would I keep it? My scales do not have pockets."

Nicole, not convinced, crossed her arms.

"Void," she asked, plainly and simply. "Do you recall that night we went drinking, and you got yourself hopped up on your SUPER Whiskey, trying to show off?"

…I want to paint this picture for you. These two were practically in the center of the room, and everyone else was staring at them, frozen like statues. The air felt as hostile as that of a cemetery, and most no one knew what was happening. Nobody liked it, either. Especially not those involved.

"Well… yeah," Void said, a bit quieter. "I showed up here with a hangover."

"I have video footage," said Nicole.

Cue Trevor and Elektor trying to hold back a bucket of laughter at that one.

Void, at this moment, likened himself to a frustrated puppy. He stomped his foot and let out a short growl.

"Fine!" said he. "I'll rig up a satellite communicator or something… Oh, and, um, I like your hair today."

Rachel quite literally placed two fingers on the bridge of her nose and tried to get past that.

"You're a lunatic," Nicole sighed, with the rise of a brow.

"Indubitably," Void nodded. "But I'm your lunatic."

So these two were truly the everlasting couple now, huh? Wouldn't be the first time that week she'd seen love escalate in the blink of a moment.

It kinda swung at Void the atmosphere he was standing in. And that everyone suddenly seemed ready to run.

"Hi, guys!" he greeted with a sheepish laugh. "Um, I'm not in more trouble, am I?"

"Circumstances you couldn't control, I take it?" asked Rachel, crossing her arms. "…There are only a few select people who ever find themselves _in trouble_ with me."

"Oh," Void grinned. "Because I JUST got an earful about my absence. But, um… I've got something to explain after the show, so stick around."

"…Will do!" Rachel smiled, giving a thumbs-up as well.

She glanced at the clock. That minute hand was practically reaching for the six.

"WOAH!" she said. "Places, everyone!"

Trevor then sprinted onstage, Elektor dove into his office, Void took a position with the guests, and Nicole was left clueless.

"I-I'm not in my seat yet!" she fretted.

This caught Rachel just as she was about to pass through the curtain. She turned around and gave a fearful look to Nicole.

"...You have your ticket, right?" she ultimately said. "Go out, then come back in through the main door. They'll let you in."

Not another word, and Nicole was out the door to do just that.

A few moments later, it was lights, camera, talk.

"So I saw a meteor last night!" said Rachel. "That was cool! This one was blue, and it… it felt so _close_ for some reason."

She'd been pondering someone who'd lost their life the year before. Since then, she'd wondered if the meteor was really a coincidence.

…But that wasn't for this moment.

"So this week, we're discussing a rather… canon shipping, actually," she laughed a bit. "Ash and Mina. I DID see a shot of these two. Ash is super protective. I mean… protection in a relationship… well… what he did do that one time was a bit rash. That's all I'll say, for I know diddly about either of these kind souls. We have a quartet to help me paint a better picture. And one, you've never seen before."

And the crowd loudened with a familiar wave of noise. Like a "this train of newcomers isn't stopping yet, isn't it?" kinda noise.

"Let's get our returning company out here!" Rachel beamed. "Welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Void, and Toxic!"

The crowd imploded into its applause as the three individuals emerged from the curtain.

Thorn did the casual waving walk to one of the intact seats.

Void garnered his confidence, waving and bowing to the happy crowd, even winking once. Upon further examination, that wink was aimed at the bullseye that was Nicole and her heart. He then proudly sat upon his rightful throne.

Toxic… well… he took a straight bolt from the curtain to an intact seat.

"And as for our newcomer," Rachel announced. "…Trust me, he's not as scary as he may seem. He's actually a true, blue sweetheart. For now. Nah, I kid. Please, welcome to our family… Mayhem!"

As the audience gave their verbal support and excitement, Mayhem stepped, to the rhythm of it all, to the seat next to Toxic.

"Hello, all!" said Rachel, finding her own seat. "Help me out."

"To be honest," said Thorn. "What I've read in the comics makes me feel as if they have more of a 'brother-sister' or 'father-daughter' relationship rather than a romantic one. I mean I don't remember ever seeing them kiss… Then again, I have a horrible memory, and often skip through the comics anyway. If they did kiss, it probably just was a peck on the lips. Even so, whenever Sonic is within eyeshot of Mina, or in close proximity to her, or even brought up in some cases, he becomes hostile and protective. Though, it seems like he does it as a brother rather than a boyfriend. Therefore…"

She withdrew the same buzzer from her pocket. She pressed the same button in the same fashion, and it made the same buzzing noise.

How big, bright, and red it was would still never fail to captivate the eyes of many.

"…Do we jut wanna have that thing installed on the wall here?" asked Rachel.

A bit of silence, before Void spoke up.

"Well," he said. "For those of you who don't know who these comic-exclusive characters are, prepared to be educated. Firstly! Mina Mongoose. She's a Mobian pop star. Like, THE Mobian pop star. Hugely successful. She was once a Freedom Fighter with Sonic and his pals, her passion being fueled somewhat by a huge one-sided crush on Speedy Blue himself. But after Sonic got lost in space… and NO, I am not making a funny. He literally took a ship into space and got lost."

"I mean… I wasn't surprised," Rachel shrugged.

"I say he ends up in the middle of the planet next," Thorn proposed.

"He was presumed dead," Void explained. "Which understandably caused Mina a bit of a heartache. She got over it eventually and met her new band manager, Ash. There was sort of an awkward period when Sonic found his way back home and met Ash, but they sorted it out as Sonic has no interest in Mina. Yeah… Did ya know? Ash is actually her boyfriend!"

He got, like, three laughs out of that.

"As a person, Mina is cheerful and kind," he continued. "On a little bit of the shy side for a singer, but I guess we all have our quirks."

He pointed at himself.

"Some more than others."

Rachel likely was no even nearly the only one to give a nod of full support to that statement.

"But she's brave, too," he went on. "She prefers to fight with her words and song, inspiring people and all that stuff."

Like a healer, sorta?

"As for Ash," said Void. "…He's really just a… a guy, I guess. A mongoose like Mina, but if we can say one thing or certain, it is that the dude is head over heels for her. This dude almost got himself KILLED stopping an attempt by Eggman to kill Mina… for something obscure… but yeah, that's kind of a statement of love on its own. He's brave, selfless, and not well known, so there isn't much to comment on that I know of. Duh, it'll work. I said they were together already. What more do you want? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?"

"Well…" Toxic spoke up. "M-Mina is a p-pop star… a-and Ash is a manager. I g-guess it could work, 'cuz t-they'd be together a-a lot, right? And t-they both are open minded t-to things like this."

He coughed. Something akin to "even though Ash is really stiff" came out with it.

"S-So it just m-might work," he said.

"Well, it could work," said Mayhem.

And it dawned on Rachel.

"If I may interrupt you for a moment," she sighed. "…I'm really sorry…"

"You forgot the question," said Void, with a smirk and a raised brow.

"I did," Rachel facepalmed. "…Mayhem, this is something we've made it a tradition to ask everyone at their first appearance on the show. You may keep completely silent if you so choose. However, if you give an answer, it could help us help you. So Mayhem… Do you have your heart set on any of the heroes or villains of Mobius?"

"My heart is set, but on none of those celebrities," Mayhem answered.

A moment of silence.

"Alright!" Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry to interrupt you for that."

"Quite alright," said Mayhem. "So… This would really depend on if they work together or separately, because they are both bust Mobians. It's really a Crash n' Burn or Soaring with Cupid ship."

"…Alrighty!" said Rachel, standing up and facing the audience. "Even canon ships can have their intriguing discussions, right? Just because something's happening doesn't mean it's good. In this case, it's… actually at least a bit debatable, isn't it? As for next week… we're putting a couple of hedgehogs together and throwing words around as to how it would work… should they ever meet in the first place. Silver and Sonia, everyone. If they should meet, how would it go? I'll see you all then!"

At that, everyone who was onstage immediately flooded to the backstage area.

More accurately… Nicole sat on the centermost couch, and Void considered sitting beside her, but decided against it for fear of destroying the couch. All this, and everyone else from before (even Elektor and Trevor) encircled them.

And Toxic had at least one sigh of relief to relish in that his watch didn't make any noise this week.

Void, meanwhile, was clacking his teeth together like mad. This slowly gathered everyone's full attention.

And then, he spoke… in what was probably the gentlest voice he'd ever used.

"Hey, guys," he said to everyone. "So… I suppose I need to explain why I've been missing. Now I hope you haven't jumped to conclusions…"

Welp, Rachel was already guilty. And she felt it.

"…And I don't want you all to worry," he said. "But… well, I suppose some of you may know… Well, the Black Arms aren't the friendliest bunch. We… THEY devour planets. They crack them open like clams and feast on the Chaos energy inside. They have to. It's what they live on. But since I've never been big on anything beyond a few pranks, and I kinda like planets, I tried to go without it. It… didn't work. My head began to get fuzzy, I lost my temper over tiny things, I woke up with my spikes out and my claws extended after strange dreams… I started getting… hungry. I had to fix it, so I went to G.U.N.. Fortunately, they sort of know me there. Not many know how to deal with aliens walking around their shops, so G.U.N. hired me as a sort of odd-jobs guy. Some maintenance here, some informant work there… small stuff. So I asked for help. They had to run tests, exams… a lot of them… to find out how to fix it. Eventually, we worked out… I just needed to feed. I spent a while with a Chaos Emerald Shadow found. It took a while… I'll spare you the walkthrough… but I was basically gnawing on that damned rock for a week. Then more tests, more exams… They say I should be fine for about a year now, give or take, but… I… Look, I never asked to be made."

At that, he went from explanatory to defeated. Surrendering, _violently_. Even Nicole was looking upon the poor soul and his grief with utter horror. Even Trevor, who had no clue what was going on, wished he could end the suffering. Rachel had certainly heard this talk before. From a certain producer who could not have been standing there tonight.

"I was supposed to be the best," said Void. "But I'd barely torn my way out of that damn egg when they called me… _failure_ …"

Like… Ultimate Life Form gone wrong?

"…Said I was too small… too emotional…" he continued. "But I was still me, still this… this THING that everybody in the galaxy hated. I spent so much time with people calling me the bad guy. Things like this almost make me believe it… but I'm not…"

It suddenly became real to everyone: there were tears waiting at the very brims of Void's eyes. He looked in front of him with a grim anticipation… if that can even describe it properly… A pleading face. Pleading for some sort of salvation.

"Please…" he asked of the companions that surrounded him. "Please don't think I'm a monster."

Before Void could even complete the word "monster," Nicole had her arms wound tightly around him.

"Never," she insisted. It was clear. It was no lie.

Waiting a moment, Rachel then garnered her best words and spoke up.

"Void…" she said. "What kind of monster feels love, and shows it? What kind of monster would even bother traversing the most winding paths of the universe, that being relationships with those who surround you? And even if you were adamant that you're a… 'monster' somehow, we all still feel some shape of love for you. We promise."

And she never made promises.

* * *

 **Question for Reaver17… or future Void, I suppose: I didn't want to write it in now, because this is such an emotional moment… but I should know by next episode: Would both Void and Nicole be comfortable should any future episodes address shippings with Nicole involved? I have a couple in my plans for the future if so.**


	82. Episode 80 (Silver x Sonia)

**Props: All the thanks to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", the one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy", and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions! And thank you, one known as "Johnathen", for reviewing! I may do more crossovers in the future.**

 **Reason for lateness: I feel super bad about this… but as my OC also is, I've been sick. Not only with the chronic thing, but with a secondary infection that's honestly killing me. I had to sleep after writing about… a third of this chapter.**

* * *

…Honestly, Rachel wasn't sure how to feel about all the property damage that was susceptible to happen anymore. This week, she walked in being conflicted between being pissed off and putting on a stone face.

Void's left arm was in the wall by the hall to the break room, through a freshly-created hole. The unfortunate Trevor was standing behind him, clearly not sure what to do, but pressured to do something. If he didn't do something, what would Rachel say?!

Wouldn't you know it… Right at that moment, Void turned his head around and spotted the stone-faced Rachel. He immediately took to pointing his finger at Trevor, literally.

"Not my fault," Void boasted. "Silver stepped on my tail."

Trevor also caught sight of Rachel, and with a face that was boiling by the second, he retaliated "I'm not Silver."

"What do you mean you're not Silver?" asked Void, getting more impatient. "You look just like him."

Trevor turned to Rachel and tried to argue "This wasn't my fault." No thought whatsoever went into the moments before that.

"YES, it's your fault," Void snapped. "You made me punch a hole through the wall."

…Did Trevor have that bad of a capacity for getting on people's last nerves? She'd never really spoken to him, so that was a possibility. Then again… she really should have talked to him more… She felt sorta bad at this point.

"Y-You must be really clumsy," Trevor retaliated. Still, his brain was disconnected from his mouth. The cord dangled in a space of emptiness.

"Clumsy?" asked Void. "If I was clumsy, I'd fall and break my neck whenever I went to sleep. YOU'RE the clumsy one, not watching where you're going."

And Rachel coughed a few times, in the awkward silence that followed. Definitely not for the first or last time that night.

Trevor was seriously considering leaving the guy there.

And Void may or may not have realized that.

"Can you at least help me?" Void asked Trevor, putting on a calmer voice.

"Yeah, I got'cha," said Trevor, putting all resentments aside. No time for that kinda baloney.

"Thanks," Void sighed.

Trevor grabbed onto Void's shoulders, as tightly as he could.

"Now…" said Void. "One, two, THREE!"

On three, they yanked in the same direction. The wall released Void's arm, and they both stumbled backward and to the floor.

And they and Rachel, started to laugh. Well, Rachel let out a good laugh or two before keeling over in another coughing fit. Trevor and Void just found the event so funny that their guts started to hurt before they calmed down. Not often this sorta thing happened. Shockingly.

"Well, that was interesting!" Void chuckled.

"Yeah!" Rachel responded the best she could.

"Remind me to buy you a drink or something later," Void said, rubbing the back of his head a bit.

Aww, such forgiveness! It warmed Rachel's little ol' heart a bit.

Void winced a bit as he stood up and took a closer look at the wall. At that exact moment, as if to prove a point, a chip of something fell to the floor in a bit of a dance. Void then gave a somewhat forced and quiet laugh.

"Oops," he said. "Sorry, Rachel. I'll pay for that. I'm pretty sure the maintenance guys already have a shortcut on their computers for reporting my property damage."

More laughs and more coughs for Rachel. You know, she had to feel bad for Void at these sorts of times. He was probably the chronically unlucky type. That must have been torture.

"Oh, man," Void laughed sheepishly. "Elektor is going to be so-"

You called, Void. And Elektor answered. With the kick of his door and eyes that spelled rains of absolute hell to pay.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" he yelled. "YOU'RE… HOW OFTEN ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO REPAIR THE STUDIO, VOID?! Just GIVE me the number, huh?!"

Wow… of all times for Elektor to _scare_ Rachel, it had to be when he was taking the fall for the week.

He scared Void, too. Certainly seemed like it, at least, with how he bolted out of the room and onstage.

"SEE YOU ON STAGE, RACHEL!" Void cried as he ran off.

"But-" Rachel tried to tell him. But Elektor had it covered.

"I'm hosting the show tonight," Elektor told him. "Just wait 'till we're not on the air."

Note all the coughing Rachel had done tonight. The flu she'd had earlier that month had led to a secondary infection, which chopped up her vocal cords and littered her lungs with gross stuff. It was only the second time this had ever happened, but all it took was three seconds of the phone conversation between her and Elektor for him to determine that he'd be wearing his tweed suit tonight. "You can't go onstage tonight, you poor thing," he'd said.

Nobody even questioned why she showed up this time. To answer the question, she felt she had to. Moral support, potential questions from the guests… This was a slot nobody could really fill or leave empty. Even if it meant her curling up on the couch like a moldy log.

Funnily enough, a few moments later, when they guests were grouped up by the curtain, they were all looking at her as she did just that. Just staring. Sadly.

"So you're actually not going out there tonight," Void sighed. "I'd thought Elektor was joking."

"Sick or something?" asked Thorn.

"Yea-" Rachel tried to reply before nearly coughing up a lung once again.

"Yup," said Mayhem.

"Get all better, alright?" Void pleaded.

"I'm gonna not-die," said Rachel. "…I hope."

Onstage, Trevor (the front-most cameraman) gave Elektor the signal.

When Elektor had walked out there, nothing more than an increased volume of speech arose from the crowd. Loyal followers had seen this happen before, and had to enlighten the ones who were wondering why the show's hostess wasn't on stage while this stranger in a tweed suit was.

"Hello, all!" said Elektor. "And welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Most of the audience exploded into cheers and applause.

"So what the heck am I doing out here?" he asked them. "…Unfortunately, the Rachel you all know and love has fallen ill at the hands of Mother Nature, the… nice lady she is. So I'm here, eager as ever to gather some opinions on Silver and Sonia! The time traveler and the princess. Well, the princess that's related to Sonic. We have four guests to come out and give their takes. Meet… Thorn, Toxic, Mayhem, and Void!"

The audience gave their usual applause as the aforementioned quartet happily came onstage. Mayhem seemed to be waving to someone in particular, a bubbling-with-joy snow leopard in a royal blue top and skirt.

Another interesting thing to note is that there was no more of the awkward business with Toxic. He used a calm walk to get to his seat this time around. It just worked out so much better that way.

"Hey, everyone!" Elektor waved to them, finding what was his seat this week. "So… Silver and Sonia. What do we think?"

"The time-traveling, naïve hedgehog from a destroyed future, plus Sonia, the… 'fashionable' intelligent princess from a used-to-be-broken kingdom. Putting their personality traits together seems a little like giving an A blood type Mobian B type blood. Or, in other words, not well. In normal circumstances, at least… Maybe possible under specific circumstances, though probably not any other way."

"I see that," Elektor nodded. "How about you, Toxic?"

Toxic had to admit, it was a bit more intimidating with someone so new and… intimidating-looking running things.

"W-Well…" he said. "I actually s-saw a fanfic about t-this shipping. It w-was… interesting t-to say the least. I guess a-a PUSC for t-this one. The w-way I see i-it happening is t-that Silver goes t-to Sonia's w-world, the later s-somehow gets a crush o-on the former, through w-watching him do h-heroic deeds or s-something, then confesses h-her love to S-Silver when he saves h-herself and her f-family. If t-those aren't met… then it's a-a nope for me. T-That's really a-all I could say o-on this."

"All lines up," Elektor nodded. "Maybe if they ever meet. Mayhem, is this beautiful or disastrous?"

"Aren't those two from different dimensions?" said Mayhem. "The latter being a princess of sorts?" He shrugged. "I'd say it is VERY unlikely for them to meet, much less fall in love. But through the aid of Chaos Emeralds, they could meet… and who knows? Maybe Sonia might see something in that naïve, fourteen-year-old pothead."

"I'm sure Silver might develop a crush on her," said Mayhem. "But it's unlikely to turn into anything more than a 'childhood sweetheart' thing. This wouldn't happen, only due to them being from two different dimensions and both being… somewhat childish, not wanting to be in a relationship that weighs them down."

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Elektor. "But who would want a relationship to weigh them down? The proper relationships make life even lighter."

His sight shifted to Void.

"Finally… Void…" he said.

Oh, if there weren't laws, or friendships broken… someone probably would have died tonight.

"Pfft," Void replied. "The day these two have even some semblance of romance or even contact with one another is the day I rip the plating off my forehead."

Watch. Sega's going to do it for Sonic Forces just because you said that.

"It's just…" said Void. "No, absolutely not. This is almost the exact same argument as Silver and Amy. Sonia is too prissy, too full of herself. Sure, Silver can be a bit of a hot head when he's in a fight, but it doesn't extend beyond that."

"So that is a 'no,'" said Elektor. "…Interesting takes tonight."

He stood and faced the audience.

"It would seem there's really no way this would ever happen unless they ever met," he said. "It'll require a follow-up. Alright… next week, when Rachel will hopefully not be coughing her lungs out anymore… We hop back into the 'Stealing the Ninja's Heart' saga when we address what's probably the most common shipping involving Espio. Espicole. Espio and Nicole, who became companions in the comics. How would it actually look as a shipping?"

Void wondered, just for a second, if Elektor had done that to spite him. The show's all in hypotheticals anyway… It'll be alright. It'll be interesting, actually.

"We'll see you then!" Elektor said, capping the show off.

 **Let's hop back in time a little bit…**

Around the middle of everything, when Toxic was giving his opinion… Rachel fell asleep and the Chaotix showed up. Some course of events.

Rachel didn't even see it coming. She was just so exhausted, so she curled up on the couch. Before she knew it, she was out. She was trying NOT to do that, but it happened anyway.

As for the Chaotix? They were the ones to wake Rachel up, opening the door ever so casually and ready to give some major hugs. At least, in Vector's and Charmy's case. Espio was just looking forward to seeing them all.

As well, he'd absently walked in with a flower in his hand. A white daffodil he'd acquired on the way to the train back here. He didn't know what attracted him to it. It had just been all alone and misunderstood. And now, it was his.

Rachel was startled out of her sleep by the sudden sound of the door opening. She was subsequently startled into a coughing fit when she saw that it was those three.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be on stage?" asked Vector, when he saw her sitting there.

"No," Rachel replied in her hoarsest voice yet, before continuing to cough.

"Well, that explains a lot," Vector said, aborting his hugging mission.

They all came to the same conclusion: she was sick.

"That stinks," said Charmy. "Is that guy doing it for you?"

"Elektor, yeah," Rachel nodded.

Espio, meanwhile, was looking from her to his flower. He had a move in mind. A move he mostly wanted to make… but was it right? Too forward? A worthy thing to give this flower up for?

Well, now that he took a closer look… she was much more beautiful. The flower could take a few lessons.

"H-Here," he said, holding the daffodil out to her and trying to wipe the red from his face.

Rachel looked at it for a second, piecing together what he was doing. You know… it was moments like this where she wanted so badly to consider throwing out the whole "leaving everything behind" plan. As if maybe, she should let her heart turn back and face the disaster that had a real chance of happening. Take the chance that maybe, he didn't like her. Perhaps, it was worth her possibly _having_ a chance.

…No. The risk was too great at this point. Four years of that kinda turmoil with a certain silver hedgehog. Never again.

But this was a nice gesture. Likely the one highlight to the day.

"Why… thank you!" Rachel smiled, taking the flower and attempting to sniff it.

"I do hope you become healthy again soon," Espio told her, looking her squarely in the eyes. And he meant it. Seeing her like this was the one crash to the day.

Well… at least she smiled when he gave her the flower. This was the best decision he'd made all day.

* * *

 **Author's note: I blame my being sick for this not being quite as well as I'd hoped.**


	83. Episode 81 (Espio x Nicole)

**Props: Thank you so much, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy", and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions!**

 **Note of encouragement: I thank the former two for their support through that imposter incident as well! I gotta be honest… and I hope this doesn't make my ego look inflated… I was suspicious. I half believed it and half didn't. Wonderful to know you're still with us, "ThatGuyNamedGuy!" And I suppose this is a time for me to encourage you guys to get accounts!**

* * *

Geez. Void's snoring made Rachel think the world was quaking.

Almost as if her stare was an alarm clock on its own, Void's eyes shot open, and he murmured "Huh, what?" while trying to get oriented with his existence again.

He tilted his head to the left, then to the right, finally waking up completely.

"Oh, hey, guys!" he beamed, dropping to the floor with a graceful flip. "Just thought I'd catch a snooze before the show… keep myself from putting another hole in the wall… Hey, where's Trevor, anyway?"

"…I dunno if he's even here yet…" Rachel replied, setting her bag down on the usual couch.

"I need to thank my new best friend for the fun night," said Void. "Could've been better, though, but he refused to touch any alcohol…" He developed a frown. "Though now that I think, that was probably a wise decision on his part. Ah, well." He set off toward the stage. "See ya later!" He was more than likely going there to try to locate Trevor. The show was still an hour away, and she was mainly here because she had an errand to run anywho, and… she didn't really want to return home.

The "finished" result of said errand sat carefully in her bag. Her somewhat-dismantled 3DS, and its separate battery, sitting in a bag of rice. Sitting next to a tiny screwdriver kit. She bought a _tool_ by herself… Another point on the dignified adult list! But… still…

Elektor suddenly appeared from his office. Wearing the tweed suit again.

Indeed. Rachel was only dying in minute-long fits rather than with every word she spoke, but it was still too much for the airwaves. She was still too sick for the stage. Her voice was still somewhat wrecked, too.

"Hey, I always meant to ask," Elektor said, turning to her. "Do these sleeves make my arms look fat?"

"I think all suits do that to every Mobian," Rachel shrugged.

"Ah… alright," Elektor shrugged back.

He proceeded to work with the cuffs on his sleeves. Rachel realized she had the proper silence and knew she could speak.

"I… may or may not be in a mourning state for a bit," she sighed.

Elektor immediately dropped the cuff he was working with and locked his eyes onto her.

"…You're not allowed to be sad," he insisted. "What do you think might make you sad?"

Rachel matter-of-factly found the bag containing rice and her possibly-fallen comrade, the water-damaged 3DS, and held it up. Elektor gave a small gasp of shock.

"I think I'm close to affording another one," she sighed. "But… there's important stuff on this one, and that's money I wanted to save for a car."

"Geez…" Elektor reacted, resting his forehead in his hand. "…Do you think it'll be okay?"

"It charges," said Rachel. "The light turns orange. And it did turn on at first, with the top screen being the only thing affected. It just… won't turn on anymore. I'll try again in the morning."

"Man, I'm sorry," Elektor told her, as if a loved one of hers was in the hospital.

"Thanks," Rachel nodded, with a slight smile. "I have hope! Besides, it was just some water from a cup I spilled. It barely got wet, but… ugh…"

Roughly an hour later, Elektor faced the audience with a strange vim and vigor. They watched him with the same energy.

As Trevor, the sober soul, pointed to him with the same strength.

"Yes, Rachel is still sick," Elektor sighed. "…And everyone do me a favor and pray for her 3DS. The brave little thing may have fallen this night."

The incident was actually the night before, but who was counting?

"The grim aside, welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!" he beamed. "Tonight, we address the shipping of the ninja and the AI, Espio and Nicole. And we have three guests tonight to help us discuss just that! Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic, Mayhem, and Void!"

The audience went the usual exciting wild as the three aforementioned stars made their ways to their seats.

Except Toxic's eyes were glinting with something akin to anticipation.

And Void was practically dragging himself along the longest three yards in existence, with a foul look upon his face. Grumbles were leaking from his face as he sat.

Finding his own seat, Elektor said "So, these two. The pairing is a bit popular."

"Sounds i-interesting," said Toxic. "I guess it could work out, if some t-things were to change. Like if Espio were to be more o-outgoing, and without SOME of the s-seriousness… and if Nicole were to be an a-actual Mobian and not a computer p-program, it c-could possibly turn into an interesting relations-ship."

"Different circumstances, but not these," Elektor rephrased.

"I really don't see Espio and Nicole as an item," Mayhem responded. "Their personalities… aren't really opposites, but they'd most likely clash a lot, which is terrible for a relationship. Good friends is the closest these two will get in terms of 'relationship.' To say this bluntly, the odds of them being in a romantic relationship are the same odds of myself dumping my girlfriend and marrying Sonic."

"A piece of paper couldn't fit in the chance that this has," Elektor rephrased again.

"…Well…" Void replied.

It was instantly clear how SO VERY MUCH he was enjoying this. It honestly made the three others that were onstage let out a few painfully stifled giggles. Some of the audience was completely bewildered, and others laughed along, having clued in ages ago.

Void cocked his head with a grin.

"Eh, why not?" he replied. "Both have really, REALLY strong morals, both are very intelligent… though in different ways… I.E. Nicole is a computer genius because she's an AI, and Espio's a tactical thinker because he's got ninja training. Espio's gruff, sorta-hard attitude might be a good balance for Nicole's inclination to see the best in people no matter what (not like I'm speaking from experience or anything)."

A few more laughs were had by everyone else.

"That," Void continued. "And both of them spend a lot of time together, and they've formed a strong friendship, at least as far as I know."

Rachel, who had no trouble staying conscious this time around, just had to wonder… Did he ever get jealous… or was it envious… of Espio? If so… was it anything like what she used to feel because of Nicole?

…Come to think of it, she'd practically abandoned that subliminal team-up they'd made to get the romances they wanted. She stumbled upon the memory of them wishing luck to each other. Ah, well… Void seemed quite fine either way, and this was really for the best no matter what.

"So yeah, I think it could work," Void told the world, more casually than even he expected.

He then eyed Trevor's camera with puppy eyes.

"Don't get any ideas, eh, Nikki?" he said real quietly.

"…And this could work based on their companionship," said Elektor. "But not based on her little lovebird here."

From what seemed like silence, laughter exploded from nearly every corner.

"Well," Elektor announced, standing up. "We seem to have a 'yes' by majority here! Next time…"

It struck Elektor again. How many "next times" were there going to be?

"One of Sonic's rivals… with Sonic's self-proclaimed girl?!" Elektor announced, with a dramatic sense of disbelief. "Jet and Amy as a thing. We discuss it next time here on Thoughts of the Unknown!"

And the show ended off for the week on that beautiful note.

Rachel, meanwhile, took a quick moment to get her own perspective on something.

…The Silvaze episode… the show's first, like, two months. She was still trapped in what she figured was a one-sided love with the Silv of the half, and she therefore took every word her guests had to say that night like a nugget of platinum.

But tonight… really wasn't the same way. The primary shipping that had broken her heart after Silver, and… everything was honestly okay. Whatever.

It was all because she'd practically gotten over Espio, and she felt so free because of it.

She did have to wonder, though, what sort of mess she'd be should Espio still have been on her heart, and Espicole still the bane of her existence. It was honestly a great question, for it seemed as if it was either loved or hated, and nowhere in between.

Toxic and VOID, of all living beings, said it could work. The late-2016 Rachel would likely have felt a few more drops of blood crawl down her heart.

But Mayhem ripped the shipping APART. That probably would have dried some of the blood.

But it would have left late-2016 Rachel with less hope than before. That was for sure. And she had to laugh, just thinking about it. 2017 Rachel was _much_ better off, and laughing internally as a result of all of this thought.

Meanwhile, Mayhem caught Toxic just as he was about to spring backstage. No, I am not exaggerating by that much. Each step of Toxic's seemed to have a certain kick to it, and it bugged Mayhem's curiosity. Was this the Toxic he really recognized?

"Any special reason why you're in a sunshiney mood?" he asked.

Toxic turned around and blinked at Mayhem, before getting a small smile on his face.

"Well, nothing special, really," he replied. "I just got a lot of stress off my shoulders last week."

"Huh," said Mayhem. He opened his mouth to say one more thing, but was instantly cut off by the ringing of Toxic's watch.

"Sorry 'bout that, I gotta go!" Toxic smiled. "My ride's here!" And spring after sprong danced him out of the studio.

* * *

 **Author's discussion: Yes... the 3DS thing is true to life. Any of you go through anything similar?**


	84. Episode 82 (Jet x Amy)

**Props: My deepest thank yous to Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", the one known as "Hedgehogwriter07" (welcome back!), and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions. And thank you, one known as "Anonymous," for voicing your opinion as well! It's on my "most likely" list, too.**

* * *

"…Welp, looks like I'm wearing the suit right out of the dry cleaners. Maybe I'll get the damn cuffs right this week."

Said Elektor, less than five seconds into his phone conversation with Rachel that morning. She'd gotten _worse_. Poor thing also said her head was about ready to implode. And, of course, little knives may as well have danced and sliced along her vocal cords.

And yet… _she was still here_. There was not a thing she could do in front of that camera tonight, yet she still entered the backstage area as if… As if maybe, she thought it a necessary ritual to be here… It made half of Elektor and his concern a bit irritated.

Meanwhile, on the couch behind the one that Rachel curled up on, Void had taken a similar position, sprawled out with his arms behind his head, one foot on the couch and one on the floor. Despite his carefree stature, he stared up at the ceiling as if it was serving him life advice.

"Hmm…" he hummed to himself.

Elektor found this to be an interesting sight… and especially so when Rachel stared at the exact same ceiling with that exact same look. They couldn't have intended that. No… Rachel, he understood, but… Well, he understood it in Void, too.

"You both look so deeply in-thought," Elektor laughed.

"Ah," Rachel replied, her eyes moving not an inch.

"What?" Void reacted, sitting up a bit to look at Elektor. "Oh, hi! I was just… Well…"

His facial expression became even straighter… if that was even possible.

"Does Toxic smell funny to you?" he asked.

Elektor said not a word from his mouth, but all sorts of WTFs with his eyes.

"…His smell!" Void elaborated, a bit louder. "You don't smell it?"

He paused for a moment, hoping he hadn't lost Elektor.

"…He has a scent on him, I swear," he insisted. "It's sort of a gray and gold smell…. Okay, on second thought, that's probably a confusing description for Mobians. Umm… How do I put this?... It's like that mysterious smoky smell you get from a closed BBQ. You know something's cooking in there. You just don't know what. I mean… the dude's got half of his ear torn off, but he acts all private… like he knows something that WE would find interesting, and HE knows that, but doesn't let a thing on about himself. Hmm… Or could it be that I've had too much of my coffee and it's making me paranoid? Oh, well."

"I mean, I'm paranoid _period_ ," Rachel sympathized with what was left of her voice.

"…I suppose…" Elektor replied, more to get a response out there than anything. This sort of thing was a huge part of why he loved coming out here every week.

A bit later, the audience was waiting for Elektor, Elektor was waiting for Trevor's signal, Trevor was waiting for Luke's signal, and Luke was waiting for the timer's signal. Ever the chain, but when it was time, it was a chain that rippled immediately in less than two seconds.

"I miss Rachel too, folks," Elektor sighed. "But the show's gotta go on, right? Welcome to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Fortunately, the audience's sympathy washed over the entire studio with their applause.

"Thank you, thank you," Elektor giggled a bit. "So tonight, we present you with one installment of the following question: Could the rival get the girl? We present it tonight in the case of Jet the Hawk and Amy Rose. We have four guests who have come to our studios to give their takes, and we're super excited to have them! Please welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Toxic, Sarah, and Void!"

The applause seemed a bit more intense than usual, likely because Sarah could finally return. As the guests all walked onstage and found their seats (Void still perching upon his famously deformed chair), none of them looked any different. Elektor had expected Sarah to change in some way or another, but she still had the same warm character. Whoever really thought about it found it to comfort them.

"Welcome to the show, all!" Elektor smiled.

"It feels good to be back after so long," said Sarah.

"It really has been a while!" Elektor beamed. "Welcome back! We missed ya! So, you fine people… You know, this is a bird and a hedgehog. What do we think?"

"This seems like more of a wrestling match than a romantic one," Thorn shrugged. "I mean, with the attitude Jet has, Amy would probably try and whip him into shape with a few good swings, then he would start retaliating, and… Well, then it'll be an actual wresting match. I see little chance of this working out, because in my mind, I believe that all they would do is fight."

"Taking 'fighting like an old married couple' too literally," Elektor rephrased.

"Jet is selfish, somewhat of a daredevil, boastful, and is always challenging Sonic," said Toxic. "Amy is… Well, she's Amy. A hopeless romantic. If she were to forget about Sonic, become a greedy treasure hunter, and grow feathers, she could possibly earn Jet's trust."

"All of that, just for his trust," Elektor chuckled.

"But I can imagine him running off at the first signs of Boy-Crazy," Toxic chuckled. "This ship isn't going to happen. Jet is too selfish and Amy is too boy-crazy for them to be in a serious relationship."

Smoothest wording he'd ever presented on-air. Elektor couldn't help but feel a bit of pride; was this show… the community he and Rachel had built… the one to comfort Toxic and eliminate his stutter?

"I don't think I'll ever see this happening," said Sarah. "Jet, to be honest, does act a lot like Sonic when it comes to being cocky. But his ego seems much more superior to that of Sonic's. Plus, I think we can all agree that Amy isn't giving up on Sonic anytime soon. And if there's one aspect of Sonic Amy loves most, it's his heroism. So no, I don't believe this ship will ever leave the docks."

"Too focused on Sonic to get with anyone, let alone this cocky guy," Elektor rephrased with a nod.

"Okay," Void said, realizing the floor was his. "Well, we've talked about Amy enough times that we probably don't need a description of her personality. I mean, who doesn't know who Amy Rose is, right? But Jet… Well, I do recall one episode with him, but I wasn't here for that, so I'll go off what I know… which is… not much, unfortunately. He isn't extremely well-known beyond the fact that he's an Extreme Gear racer. Really fast hovering skateboards. He also works with his team, the Babylonian… Babylon? Babylord? The something-or-other Rouges as mercenaries."

Rachel so would have laughed if her lungs had the capacity. She'd always mispronounced it as "Rouges" until recently.

"He's cocky, arrogant, hotheaded, competitive…" Void listed. "And he hates to lose, so… basically Amy's type except less noble and more greedy, both for coin and reputation. He likes to think of himself as Sonic's 'rival,' which… let's be honest… isn't so impressive since Sonic's got, like, a hundred 'rivals.' He's also acquainted with Big the Cat for… reasons. I might say yes and I might say no to this, but with such a lack of evidence regarding who he is personally, I'm gonna say it's a roll of the dice here. I really have no idea."

"It really cannot be determined," Elektor rephrased, standing up. "So… it would seem that we're not really for it. If I remember right, the only one who may possibly have a yes vote is someone with no definite answer. We respect that, and all other opinions, here on Thoughts of the Unknown. So next week, let's try putting Jet with someone a little more like him, in greed and in spirit. We briefly mentioned treasure hunters… so let's pair him with just that! Jet and Rouge, everyone! See y'all next week!"

* * *

 **Additional thanks: I am also extremely grateful for all your support regarding the loss of my former most faithful possession, the 3DS XL. Unfortunately, my efforts did turn out to be fruitless. I even tried to pry it open and expose the circuit boards and rice-dry it that way… but alas, Blue (as I named it) will never awaken again.**

 **I am fortunate, though! I was able to upgrade to the New 3DS! And I would love to take this chance to offer some advice, should you ever need it! There is a way to transfer your Nintendo Network ID from a broken system to a new one! Granted, you have to call Nintendo Customer Service… but you just provide them the serial numbers of the two systems, confirm a few things (ID, purchased titles, etc.)… and they'll have it all taken care of! You can redownload everything you bought for free!**


	85. Episode 83 (Jet x Rouge)

**Props: My deepest thank yous go out to WafflesbelikeNYANCAT, the one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy," the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish," and Reaver17 for your wonderful OCs and their opinions! Also to the one known as "Johnathen" for the topics for the next two episodes!**

 **Couple of things I need to address before we begin here**

 **I know for a fact that I will not be able to write next Friday. I will be attending prom, and even if it didn't end at dang near midnight, I am going to be** _ **beat**_ **. As such, count on the next episode being on Saturday at the earliest. Also, the week after that, it'll likely be Sunday at the soonest. State competition three hours away from home. I apologize for the inconvenience!**

 **One of the "Guest"s that replied with your OC… Trinity sounds really intriguing. I like the premise! It's just… if this is what you were going for, I can't feature her because she (you) has not supplied an opinion on the show's topic. Spoiler alert, next week's topic is Sonic and Peach, so if you give me Trinity's opinion on that, I can feature her. I suppose this would also be a good time to remind everyone of the guidelines for… guest application, I guess you could say. I need who your OC is, who their love interest is (if they have one), and their opinion on the upcoming episode's topic.**

 **Alrighty! Technical stuff out of the way, I'll see ya around! Oh, and "ShadsyStarsWish"… I took your after-show thing and made it a before-show thing, if that's fine. The moment was right.**

* * *

Elektor and his sleeve cuffs… Rachel was never going to let him live that down. He was a walking meme for it.

Rachel was better this week, but not… better _enough_. She could speak coherent sentences, but her face was still clearly stuffed, and she still could have erupted into a suffocating coughing fit at any breath. "We just can't risk that happening on camera," Elektor had said. Slightly irritated, Rachel was starting to wonder whether the fame had set in as an addiction.

When she got out of the car, she pointed at her chest and grumbled "You antibiotics better make me better by next week. Not only because of prom, but because Elektor better not be letting this get to his head."

She walked in, only the sound of Void's nearby phone conversation to concentrate on. Said Void was leaning against the wall with a cell phone.

"Yeah…" he told the person on the other side. "No… What? I said no… You're really gonna make me say it…"

His tendrils shook… or rather, twitched. Almost like the tail of a peeved cat.

"…No, I have not EATEN anybody," he snapped. "Don't be ridiculous. Black Arms eat Chaos energy, not people…. NO, as far as I know, the rest of them are extinct… or Shadow the Hedgehog. I don't foresee any harvesting of planets anytime soon… Oh, come on, man, really? I don't want to discuss them…. My age? Why do you want to know?... I see…. You want a blood sample? You know what, scumbag? Nobody tells me what to do, and I'm not your guinea pig. Find someone else for your crackpot studies."

And he hung up. Oh, for the days of slamming or closing a phone on someone. Void just stabbed his with his pointer.

He then turned his head to see that Rachel had been standing there. Rachel quickly turned her head back to the phone in her hand… fully aware she'd failed to throw the dirt over her eavesdropping.

"Oh…" Void replied, plain and simple. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Few minutes, I wanna say," Rachel shrugged, finishing off the text she was writing. "Telemarketers getting worse these days? I just have an app to block their calls."

"Oh, no," said Void. "It's just some wacko biologist. He's convinced I hold the secret to immortality or something insane like that. See ya on stage!"

" _Elektor_ on sta-" she tried to correct him before falling into another coughing fit, which seemed enough explanation.

A third voice remarked " _Still_ don't have the health for the stage?"

Void stopped to look back, and Rachel looked up (between coughs) to see Toxic standing there, with a cup of something and bandages on his right forearm stained with blotches that spelled pain.

"Me?" Rachel said. "I should be asking if _you're_ okay enough for it."

"What happened, dude?" asked Void.

"Uh," Toxic told them. "Well, I got into a little accident two days ago. It's nothing, really. Things like this happen a lot to me."

"What sort of accident?" Void asked. "Huh?"

"Err, well, I…" was Toxic's response. "…Um… Was hiking… and I… tripped…"

He was rubbing the back of his neck, he was stammering, and his feet were shifting. Didn't take some special bracelet to figure there was something wrong here.

Regardless, in half an hour, the volt that was Elektor stood before a suspecting audience. Picking one spot in the crowd and standing there would allow you to pick up at least one detailed conversation of "So, is he just… taking over now?"

But everyone in charge, even the "one being replaced" herself, knew that this was for the best.

Before another question could be asked, the audience fell silent as the show was clear to begin.

"Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown, everybody!" Elektor beamed, effectively bringing everyone's attention to the show at hand. "This week, we're questioning the validity of another couple of troublemakers. Actual _couple_? What do we think? One's a racer, and the other's a straight-up burglar. Jet and Rouge, everyone."

Elektor WAS about to make the joke that in his wee childhood, she broke into his chest and made it out with his heart, but… nah. That'd be like joking that he drank water that morning.

"We have four beloved guests to come out and give their thoughts," he said. "Please, welcome back to the stage… Thorn, Mayhem, Toxic, and Void!"

Graced with the applause, the four guests made their honorable walks out to the stage and to their seats.

"'Ey, everyone!" Elektor greeted them, finding his own seat. "Pleasure to see ya! So… Jet the Hawk and Rouge the Bat… Bright or dim outlook?"

"Oh, Chaos…" Thorn sighed, slowly placing her head in her hand. "That's also all this relationship will end up in: chaos. I mean, we have two prideful treasure hunters – one who would probably seduce the other to do their bidding, then fly off without the slightest care, and the other who would stupidly fall for such an act."

"More a _usage_ than a romance," Elektor rephrased.

"It could work in my eyes," Mayhem shrugged. "They both like stealing stuff, they more or less like to tease or boast about themselves… The only cons I see in this are that Jet will most likely be too bossy for Rouge, and that the latter will probably flirt with other guys, which will get Jet mad… or jealous. Anyway, I think it could work. They'd be quite the thieving duo if all goes right."

"Against all odds, this could work," Elektor rephrased.

"Two treasure hunters in a relationship?" said Toxic. "I honestly don't see it. They'd most likely be rivals instead of lovers. Rouge is sassy, flirty, greedy, and… uh, as my friend puts it… a sexy glamour queen. Jet, we already know what he's like. They would probably fight over gems all day. Perhaps under EXTREME circumstances, they could see something in each other."

"PUSC, because there would be no love," Elektor rephrased.

The keen eye (and/or ear) would have noticed that the entire time until now, Void had been stifling laughter. Right after Toxic had finished with his two cents, Void couldn't hold back his twenty-five, in the form of fully-blown laughter that lasted a good ten seconds.

"That's so ridiculously wrong, it makes a night of heavy boozing look like a spree of good decision-making," he chortled.

Welp, Rachel thought while seeing this, there was clearly something to be said. Let's hear it.

"Let's just ignore the fact that Jet is barely fourteen and that Rouge is four years older," Void went on. "And then, I can tell you why this is bad. Sure, sure… I'm sure, at first glance, this might seem plausible due to the fact that they're both technically criminals and it's some sort of 'Bonnie and Clyde' story (though hopefully with a happier ending) that's supposed to be romantic. But the thing is… Jet isn't really that smart. He's cocky, rash, arrogant, and loud. He and his team once went treasure hunting for some ancient Babylonian airship called the 'Garden.' They had to find a key to get to it first. They found it in this old ruin, as you do, and his friends cautioned him to not set off any traps. He responded with 'I think I'll know a trap when I see one' a second before picking up the key and setting off an obvious Indiana-Jones-style pressure plate trap. Does this seem like the guy who would suit a smooth-talking, intelligent, subtle, and skilled thief? Really? They're absolute polar opposites. If they ever got to talking alone for twenty minutes, I guarantee they'd strike a deal to complete some illicit job before immediately planning to cheat each other out of the spoils."

"And this is a FLOP because there is no love here," Elektor reworded before standing up. "So… what I'm seeing is a general consensus for this not to happen. Well, Mayhem said it could work."

"Before and after discrediting it…" Void murmured.

"Ah, well," Elektor shrugged. "Next week! The, uh… timing for these episodes is going to be a bit strange! Next week's episode will take place on Saturday, and the episode after that will be on the next week's Sunday! I… hope that second part made sense. These two weeks will be another crossover saga! That's right, folks: We're reaching into the Mushroom Kingdom again! So… many have pictured it already: in the plumber's place… is the blue blur! Imagine Sonic carrying Princess Peach out of the evil castle! Imagine it for next week! Sonic and Peach! We'll see you all then!"

And at that, the audience slowly trickled out of the studio, and Elektor and the guests all went backstage to pack up.

Not that it really struck them, but they would not run into Rachel… for she had picked up a phone call a bit earlier on in the episode and had to step outside to take it.

She was now pacing around her car, either smirking at how the streetlight nearby was killing the stars and it hurt her eyes, or giving her say to the cell phone against her ear.

"I think this could be great. I've always felt as if the dots didn't really line up."

" _This could better our Mobanity as we know it, Rachel. This, I believe."_

"I agree, Simon. So… you said you've already given a few talks on this concept?"

" _That's right. I thought they would question what a seventeen-year-old kid was doing up onstage preaching about the way things have been done for centuries, but… they seem to have taken to my idea."_

"Quite like I have. I suppose you could say I'm in."

" _Fantastic. Your supporters seem to have a deal of praise for you. I hope to see that talent in your work with this book. Oh, um… I meant to ask… What are you doing hosting a talk show?"_

"…You know, it's interesting you ask. It started out as a fun little thing my producer friend and I thought of that would be fun. People like it, so we've kept doing it. May as well keep it going until I head off to university… if possible."

" _What's it about? Celebrity news or something?"_

"…It's more of a celebrity opinion show. You're familiar with the concept of shipping, right? Each episode, we give our opinions on a shipping. Plain and simple. For something so simple, though, we're like a family. Each one of my guests is like a chum, you know?"

" _You don't strike me as the type to concern yourself with… celebrities."_

"I don't? Huh. Well… now, not so much, I guess. In the beginning… until real recently… I had huge celebrity crushes, which I think really contributed to the… er… not 'passion', but… you know. I gotta say, I do wonder what I'm still doing here."

" _Hmm. Well, I'll send you what I have, and I want to see what you can do with it. Thank you so much for doing this, Rachel."_

"Oh, don't worry."

" _I hope to meet with you again soon."_

"Same here. Well… I'll see ya, Simon!"

" _See you soon, Rachel. Goodbye."_

"Bye!"


	86. Episode 84 (Sonic x Peach)

**Props: I have so much gratitude for you guys! Thank you, Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT, the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", and the one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy"… and Reaver17 for your OCs and opinions! And once again, thank you to the one known as "Jonathen" for next time's topic!**

 **Why this is even later than I initially reported: Internet complications. This is written as if it still took place on Saturday. The next episode will be next week at the soonest.**

* * *

"'Come what may… puzzles are there to be solved.' Starting the episode with a little something from the man I call my role model. Do or don't take it with a grain of salt. Welcome, everyone, back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

Beamed the onstage and 90%-healed Rachel the Fox.

Only her eardrums would object… but the outward wave of noise from the audience gave her the feeling of being hugged. Or being compelled to crowd surf successfully.

"This week…" she told them with her solid voice. "I believe this one's mostly made possible thanks to the Mario and Sonic collection. I'm surprised I didn't start thinking highly of it myself in my past, because that collection was my first serious exposure to this world of Sonic. So… take two series. Series…s? I dunno. Switch their male main protagonists. Either that, or switch their princesses. And you've got this. Well, you've got two combos, this week being Sonic and Peach. Meep… but I think it would be interesting to observe. I wanna see some fanfics and/or videos of this! Which makes me realize I probably should have done some research before tonight, but… anywhat, this is somewhat exciting. I'm not directly saying it would work, because it could end up being a trash heap for all I know, but... I wonder if perhaps, they would click better than she does with Mario. Peach seems to have much more personality than Mario, for one. She's upbeat and sophisticated, both! Something tells me Sonic would like that! In my view, Peach would take a fancy to Sonic's upbeat and caring ways, too. In short, I need to see this. Let's get our guests out here…"

Including the one and only Nicole's boyfriend who came running into the studio at the last possible minute. There must have been a reason, and she knew this, but… OH man, she had one bite of an urge to assume an evil stache and call him out on national television. Or was it global?

"Please, welcome back to the stage," she announced. "Thorn, Toxic, Mayhem, and Void!"

The applause ricocheted off the walls as the four stars of the show assumed their seats.

"Hello, all," Rachel waved, taking her own seat.

"Good to see you here again," Void asserted. There were certain pointers to a possibility that Elektor had a new enemy, let's just say that.

"Great to be back," Rachel nodded. There were certain pointers to the possibility that Elektor was starting to get an addiction, let's just say that.

"So… this…" said Thorn. "I probably would curse, but there are children watching. Because there are ALWAYS children watching…"

There was a mumble of laughter from the audience. Thoughts of the Unknown. Apparently thinking of the children since… now?

"I can already predict that a lot of people would lay this ship to waste," she continued. "For one reason, a human and an anthropomorphic 3'3 cerulean hedgehog. 3'3. And hedgehog. Another reason is that… well, people don't seem to take nicely to things like this, humans and Mobians in a relationship."

"Well, I've gotta say," Rachel interjected. "Since when is it about what others think? Love is love, isn't it?"

"It could ruin Sonic's image," said Void. "And his life as a result."

"…I mean, unless he was that focused on his image," Rachel shrugged. "Which he might be. Could be."

"I'm fine either way," Thorn shrugged back. "Though this brings me to point three: This has happened before."

Brief moment of silence. In honor of the fallen comfort in the studio.

Thorn cleared her throat, cutting through the silence like a broiling knife, then said "Sonic 06, anyone?"

"I, for one, would blow this ship up," said Toxic. "A human and a hedgehog, two different species, one being only three feet tall… in a relationship?! Who…"

He coughed. Then gave a raspy mutter of something along the lines of "besides Sega…". Then coughed again.

"…In their right minds…" he said.

"Well, not-right minds can be a great contribution to the world," said Rachel.

"And if you think of it," Toxic went on. "Peach is basically the blonde version of… of…"

"Elise?" Void chimed in... so nonchalantly, he barely moved his head to say it.

"Yes, her!" said Toxic. "They both are kidnap-prone, both NEED the hero to save them…"

"One exception," Rachel pointed out. "Super Princess Peach, for the DS. The roles were reversed. Your point still stands, though."

"They both also have an interest in short men," said Toxic.

"Anything wrong with that?" asked Thorn.

"He's just saying that that's how Elise and Peach are alike," said Void.

"Indeed," Toxic nodded. "Never, in my nearly endless existence, would I support this."

"Ya know, I usually support ships," Mayhem sighed, leaning back in his chair. "But this! Princess Peach, and Sonic, the royal fruit and the blue blur…"

Rachel laughed twice from "royal fruit." "Fat plumber and royal fruit…" Could have been a name for a video in that section of the Internet…

"Just no…" Mayhem insisted. "The ONLY human-and-hedgehog ship that is remotely good is Shadria, or Shadow and Maria."

Huh. Interesting to see someone condone that AND quote it.

"'06 made it clear that blue hedgehogs SHOULDN'T get hooked up with princesses whom are constantly in danger. It will always end badly, no matter which princess you use."

"…So I suppose I'm the shocker here…" sighed Void. "YES! ABSOLUTELY!"

And he had every eye in the room, all at once.

"Sonic and Peach is way better than Mario and Peach, no question," he explained to the watching world. "You know why? Because Mario is completely devoid of a personality, THAT'S WHY. Now, I'm going to give a bit of a rant right now because I have a bone to pick with him."

Ah, nothing like pickin' bones. Shoot.

"I mean… LOOK at the guy," he went on. "He has NO personal life. He just sits around at home with his twin brother, he never makes a sound except gibberish that everyone seems to understand perfectly…"

"One… no, two exceptions," Rachel just had to point out, the nitpicker she was. "Fortune Street and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. He uses coherent English in those two. Mostly, though, it is literally gibberish."

Was this too much pointing out for one night? Was she being annoying? Oh, dear…

"Mostly," said Void. "Everyone calls him a plumber, yet the only tool he seems to know how to use is a hammer with which he crushes helpless Goombas who can't defend themselves beyond biting his ankles, he spends most of his time running after Peach, who was 'kidnapped', which is suspicious all on its own. I mean, has anyone wondered at all why they haven't installed some sort of defenses in Peach's castle? They don't even TRY to make it a challenge for Bowser…"

He eyed the front camera.

"Also, I've said this before, but… big fan! Anyway, the guy just waltzes right in with no resistance."

"I wanna see the Toads fight back for once," said Toxic.

"Same here," Void nodded. "Then, he snatches up Peach and runs FAR away back to his castle, which proves that Mario's is a little dimwitted, as he keeps forgetting where it is and has to go through a few hundred before he finds Peach, because we ALL know…"

He stood and faced the audience, and rose his arms as if he was… about to seriously make them sing or something…

"Say it with me, audience," he insisted.

He waved his hands, like a conductor.

"The princess…"

At this point, everyone caught on. "Is in another castle!" was recited by every mouth in the studio.

He was passionate about the show. That much was clear, and it was the warmest honor. Considering her outlook… it was a bittersweet one, too.

"As spoken by Toad," said Void, lowering his arms and taking his seat again. "Who is clearly more qualified for the job, as he always gets there before Mario."

"What is he doing there?" asked Thorn.

Beats everyone, really.

"Then, when he finally… FINALLY… finds Peach in 'Bowser's Castle,'" Void went on. "She's entirely unharmed by the fire-breathing Koopa king. In fact, she seems entirely unfazed by the whole experience. She treats it like she was just visiting a friend's house for the weekend. After Bowser is 'defeated,' she pecks Mario on the cheek and walks away like NOTHING happened. They don't even lock Bowser up! They just LEAVE him with all his minions. I'm entirely convinced that Peach and Bowser are dating."

Some laughed, some gave a solid nod. Simple reaction.

"YES, I SAID IT," Void sighed, more to those who chose the humor route. "And Mario is just some random guy whose view of the world is warped by his own obsession over the princess. The shrooms probably have something to do with it as well."

Holy crap, that was true. That was completely true.

"Now, since my inner conspiracy theorist has been satiated," he sighed again. "All I've said so far is that Sonic and Peach is better than Mario and Peach, but that's just because literally ANYONE is a better match than Mario. As for whether or not an interspecies match between an anthropomorphic blue hero and a human princess… because this is a new topic… well… let's go with NO."

"Uh huh," Rachel nodded. "So… overall, you all think this is a no-go. And there are at least ten reasons why Mario sucks."

Void nodded.

"Welp," Rachel said, standing. "Next time… which will likely be the Sunday after tomorrow, because I'm going to be in a competition Friday and Saturday… let's take that other combo I hinted at and see if it's as akin to manure as this seems to be. The other princess and the other… savior? Mario and Blaze, everyone."

This stirred 'em all.

"Let's see then," she nodded. "See you all then!"

At that, the cameras flipped off, the audience trickled out with excited chatter, and the onstage folks went backstage.

Rachel walked up to her purse. She opened the zipper to her wallet, which held her phone.

There was a strange stimulus that made brief contact with her shoulder. Hmm… who could have done that?

But… Elektor? That was strange.

Why was it strange? Since Metalla… what Rachel had expected and cherished was now something to be considered… dare she think… strange.

Fractions of a year can change everything.

Even stranger than that was what occurred at the split second she registered that it was him. He wound his arms around her.

"Super happy to see you're doing better," he told her. She could hear the smile in his voice.

But at that, he let go and went on his way.

Not that she was complaining, but… things had changed. For the better, really. There was joy there. This was a joyful hug.

No tight grasping. No cries. No sobs. No tears. No wistful sighs or longing for anything but the worst to go down.

Happiness. Thank Metalla.

Rachel smiled at the revelation and reached into her wallet to grab her phone. And immediately, she saw that her stardom had made her unaware of a call from Harry the Cat.

She'd made friends with two new guys over the snow. Quite honestly, she was holding onto that secret extra tight. She didn't really want anything rash to be attached to the bulletin that was her reputation. _Friendship_. But that would never be anyone's first thought.

She'd met Simon, Simon the Fox, over a slushie and a coffee in January. It kicked off as a fan-recognizing-the-celebrity situation, but he didn't see her as the hostess, but as the author. He didn't mention Thoughts of the Unknown, but did her novels. This strung a majorly beautiful chord in her soul, so they got drinks and sat down. Simon was a prospective law student, itching for the day he could leave for the institution he'd been accepted to. Quite sheltered by his father, he immediately spotted Rachel's 3DS and gained some excitement that painted a clear picture to her. Forced to wear a façade, this poor guy. He was compelled to focus on no more than his work, and when there was no work, there was research to be done. 'There's a wealth of information that isn't waiting for you to pause a game,' Simon would be told time after time. Rachel made it one of her missions to peel back the layers and drive Simon to flaunt who he really was. It would be a huge time investment, but she would see it, she vowed.

He had black fur with huge white stripes, and hazel eyes. He usually wore a black jacket, black pants, and black boots. This always was interesting to Rachel since he was eight months younger than her, but he was about an inch taller. He had a voice almost as deep as Espio's. Soon after they started speaking, she wanted him and Espio to meet each other so she could gauge the difference… or so they could be floored by the similarity.

At their next meeting, Simon revealed he had ideas for a book and wanted her help. She was both a hired hand and a companion.

As for Harry the Cat, that was February. A brown cat with obsidian eyes, also an inch over her in height. He wore many outfits, but his favorite was the brown suit, the yellow sweater, and the black sneakers with the white trim. He had a deep voice as well, but it really only struck her whenever he was feeling down; his excitement could really increase the pitch. He was also noted for having an Eastern accent (what those on Earth called British).

…She'd laughed at the thought just before the show started. How someone who she didn't give much more than a passing glance in the depths of winter could become her self-proclaimed best friend as the flowers woke up.

She'd met Harry at the college she attended. On Groundhog's Day, in fact. She went to sit down and noticed that this stranger was at a familiar part in a video game she loved. She offered guidance, and he offered his introduction, and it all went from there. Soon, they hugged at least twice every day.

It felt strange to realize that at one point, they walked right past each other not knowing each other's names. It didn't feel real. They'd always known each other. They had to have!... If "always" meant approaching three months. Man…

This night of April, feeling her heart leap up out of her stomach, she immediately kicked back on the couch and called him back.

She heard the harmony of a train whistle in the distance and was put to a little more peace. Music. Trains were music. Musical travel, from their wheels to their whistles. Like huge, speeding orchestras. …Train conductors! Would you look at that?!

"… _Hey_!" came from the phone.

"Hi there!" Rachel told him. "Sorry I couldn't get your call."

 _"No, it was my bad. I didn't remember you were doing the show. Man, being friends with a celebrity can be strange."_

"…I'm not too strange for you, am I?"

 _"…You're just strange enough."_

"Good to know. I'll fight to keep it."

 _"You'd better."_


	87. Episode 85 (Mario x Blaze)

**Props: You're real winners here, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" and one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy!" As well, I owe thanks to an anonymous reader for next time's topic!**

 **For sake of simplicity, yes, there will be an episode this Friday. I can see why some may wonder that.**

* * *

"So I got a free t-shirt thrown into my seat at an awards ceremony!" Rachel told her patient audience. "That's a good part of my weekend right there. Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown, friends!"

It would seem the audience took a great liking to their role. As the applause rose and died down, Rachel briefly thought she saw a familiar moose. Maybe… nah, that couldn't be him… Ah, whatever.

"So this week, we address the inverse of last week," said Rachel. "…Speaking of inverse, which can reference algebra, this is my last week of college for the year. Oh, my aching mind needs more sleep… but I digress. The inverse in this case equals Mario and Blaze, everyone. The Mushroom hero and the Mobius princess (at least, of one dimension). Look, we're addressing it because it's interesting to look at. I don't immediately see this taking off. Something tells me Blaze would be much too intimidating for Mario to have the guts, and his bubbly attitude would be a bit off-putting to her. I mean, my mind's freakin' canyon-open, so I imagine that if Mario was super sweet to her, he could get on her good side. Er… well… I'd worry she'd much dislike his behavior. Shrooms and… killing creatures so mindlessly, and… You know, that begs the question. Do you think Mario ever thinks about that? When the curtains are down, does he secretly cry it out? Or is he really that much of a rock? M-My point here is that there could be a lot of argument with this. I don't see it adding up. Let's get our fab duo of guests out here to give their takes, huh? Please welcome back to our stage… Toxic and Mayhem!"

Claps like sea waves took place in the audience as the star guys emerged from the curtain and took their perfect seats. They knew they were stars. There was no question there.

Taking her own seat, Rachel greeted "What's good, guys?"

She then proceeded to cringe.

"I do not make that sound good... Anyway, the plumber and the fireplace. Flame to the heart or to the gut?"

"Welp, more Mario shippings…" Toxic sighed. "I honestly think this was created with the idea that Blaze would be… erm… in awe if she met Mario right after he stomped on a Fire Flower… or ate it? I don't know how he gains these power-ups, but let's say he stomped on a flower. Anyway, as Void said last week, Mario has no personality. He's just some guy whose moustache could become rivals with Egg-for-Brains's moustache. Blaze is the opposite of that. She's cunning, caring, loyal, fierce… I could literally go on, but I won't."

Hmm… Rachel gave the silent command to her mind to note this. Very telling.

"So yeah, I doubt she'd go for a brainless zombie like Mario," concluded Toxic. "This is basically a no-go."

"No-go, it is," Rachel shrugged. "What's it like from your angle, Mayhem?"

"Just no, that's what," said Mayhem. "I know that sounds blunt or harsh, but it's what I think."

"What you think is what it's all about here," said Rachel.

"Great," Mayhem nodded. "If Peach and Blaze switched places, Blaze would honestly scold Mario for taking SO LONG to find her."

"You ever wonder why Peach doesn't do that?" asked Rachel. "I mean, we see she has a personality in the Paper Mario games. In Super Paper Mario, she got the Mario Brothers to back away from her. I need to see this happen."

"Then," Mayhem added, holding up a finger. "Blaze would lecture on how she could literally have rescued herself, beat Bowser, and rebuilt her castle in the time it took Mario to find her. This ship wouldn't last long… even if Mario became the new Luke Skywalker."

"Not crushing and flirting, but crashing and burning," Rachel said, standing. "That's what this is."

Both Toxic and Mayhem gave a single nod.

Rachel also had to wonder if Blaze would like this Skywalker fellow… but it wasn't like she could answer that without having met him.

"Well, there's the answer to this," she told everyone. "Shut it down. Next week… or Friday, rather… we're withdrawing our forces from the Mushroom Kingdom and bringing them home for now, so don't you worry about that. I unfortunately barely know the latter half of this ship exists, so I won't have much to chip in, but… we'll hear some opinion on the shipping of Sonic and Merlina! We'll see you all then!"


	88. Episode 86 (Sonic x Merlina)

**Props: All my gratefulness to the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish," the one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy," and iCosmix for the OCs and opinions! I cannot stress enough that it is everything to this shindig!**

* * *

"So it's not too much of an anecdote…" Rachel told her eager audience. "But this week, I'm greeting you with a music recommendation. Namely, the first time in a while I've named an album my _favorite_ album. Capsule Silence XXIV, by Anamanaguchi. I couldn't remember the letters for a second, but I'm pretty sure that's what it's called. I've been obsessed for, like, the past two days. Seriously. Amazing shiz. So welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown, everybody!"

May have been the same ol' crowd making the same ol' noise… but to Rachel, every week had a unique energy that she'd never be able to quite get over. Would she miss this?

"So this week, I'm just giving it a name and its surveyors, for I have nothing to say," Rachel told them with a shrug. "Sonic and Merlina, everyone. This week, we've got three guests for you. One is making quite the return! Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic, Mayhem, and Ray the Porcupine!"

The noise took a spike as Ray's name was mentioned, but all in all, the three of them were a golden bunch. As they made their ways to their seats, Rachel scanned the audience and put her hand up to her chin.

And she pondered. She'd seen a grand total of _none_ of these faces on the stage before, and yet, they made the valiant trek back to their seats just to see it all go down. She didn't want to say she was judging her audience, but it did make her wonder. The general conformity of society, or… to be honest, was it uncensored fear?

But going on questioning other people only sunk her into a pit of sickness, so she got herself out of there and back to her patient guests. Hoping to whatever was up there that her audience didn't figure out she was really surveying them.

"Heyo, guys!" she waved, taking her seat. "So... this. Is the shipping of Sonic and Merlina magic or a heaping trash pile?"

"To be honest, I would have been clueless who Merlina was if my… _friend_... hadn't informed me about her," said Toxic.

This "friend" of his was dripping with something only sarcasm could achieve. She couldn't help but nod, going through the same sort of thing.

"Anyway, going off of what I've been told," Toxic continued. "Merlina apparently is a wizard who helped Sonic in one of his adventures. She seemed good enough, but then showed her REAL colors and tried to destroy everyone and everything."

"So she became an _enemy?_ " asked Rachel. Well, this threw a wrench.

"You got it," Toxic nodded. "I'm just going to assume Sonic wouldn't like a world-destroying wizard for his girlfriend… And to add to that, Merlina looks kinda like an elf. Yeah, I said it. But anyway, I don't see this happening."

"Uh huh," Rachel said, a bit loudly, still hit by the truth about Merlina.

"Merlina is a human, Sonic is a hedgehog…" Mayhem sighed, resting his face in his right hand. "I've said this already, but humans and hedgehogs don't go together!"

"Right…" Rachel sighed. "Sorry you gotta go through this again."

"I know Merlina's a wizard and that she was Sonic's guide," Mayhem went on. "Or was that the talking sword? Bah, I don't know this stuff! But anyhow, I'm just going to say this wouldn't work out…. I could be proven wrong in the future, though."

"So you've still got an open mind, even with this shipping's nature?" Rachel asked, tilting her head. "Huh. Interesting."

"This stands a chance," Ray said, each word more delicate than the last. "Sonic would have probably stayed in Camelot after defeating her, so Merlina could have fallen for him in that time. Besides, he taught her an important lesson in life, after all. I don't know about Sonic, though."

That is amazing. You know someone is soulmate material when they leave a lasting lesson on you. For those four years, without even trying, Silver gave her a slate of lessons that would make public school systems fade in comparison. She learned what love really meant, that it must have darkness if it is to be pure, and that as a result, there's a lot one must battle if they are to keep it that way. And so much more that only her heart knew how to comprehend. And she was still learning. It felt as if she pieced together something new either about herself or about this fickle concept of love every week lately.

"When you learn… that's how you know it's perfect material," Rachel reflected aloud. "If a love teaches you at least one lasting lesson without purposely trying, marry 'em. They're keepers."

She stood.

"But overall… the jury's still out on this one," she said. "It holds water, and it also doesn't. I suppose it's still up for debate. Kinda sucks to leave it on that note, but… next week's topic sounds a little messed-up at one angle, but perfectly plausible from another! So Amy gets tired of chasing the perfect blue blur… but what about the brother of his who has probably been watching this like some sort of flick? Is it a comedy to him? Maybe… a horror? Manic and Amy, everyone. I'm curious to see everyone's perceptions! I'll see you all next week!"


	89. Episode 87 (Manic x Amy)

**Props: One known as "ShadsyStarsWish" and one known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy"… you mean more to this than you may know.**

 **Reason for lateness: Keyboard issues.**

 **Author's note: Next week's episode could likely be late. As far as it's looking, I have a birthday party that Friday, then a whole bunch of graduation festivities the next day… and even Sunday, I have a formal ceremony to go to. Just wanted to make sure you were in-the-know incase the next episode ends up late.**

 **Heads-up… I have some other more conclusive news to present. It may make itself clear within this chapter's story, but I'll elaborate at the end. I just didn't want it to seem like such an out-of-nowhere hit.**

* * *

Rachel had just received her microphone and had just switched it off after testing it. With five or so minutes still left to go before the show was due to start, she figured she could KO the time by drumming up some chat with her two guests for the night.

It was one of those little self-conscious sorts of things that bugged her sometimes: she never really took the time to focus on her guests. Well, the floor was all theirs by turns each week, but… that was different. The topic was set, and the world was watching. Tonight, in these five minutes, she held it to herself: She was going to get the low-down on how these two were doing.

…That is, until she heard the door open and looked over to see the trio of the times pace in. Charmy, Vector, and Espio, the Chaotix Detective Agency… whom she hadn't seen in a bit of a while. How... where... have they been?

She opened her mouth to say some excited hellos… but immediately shut it when she pieced together that Espio had sat down and buried his face in his hands. Vector and Charmy were giving him worried stares, as if… maybe Espio didn't feel well?

She hated to seem intrusive… but that was the worst that could happen, right? The little faux pas?

"What's the matter?" she asked, her voice cracking a few times because she was quiet and timid.

Vector answered "He just had to deal with some kid and his jackass of a dad. Kid stole his ninja stars, and the kid's dad got all mad at him when 'e wanted them back."

"This is his murder face," Charmy quipped, with no smile.

"Murder, eh?" said Rachel. "Don't get your stars all dirty on someone like that. I could recommend some targets that are way more worthy of your time."

Vector chuckled a bit, and that was possibly also a laugh that came out from Espio's buried face.

Meanwhile... it was. He relaxed his hands a bit, knowing she was absolutely right.

But the show had to begin. And so it did, with a point of Trevor's finger.

"So I'm possibly speaking at graduation," Rachel began. "I'm looking through a bunch of my old diaries to gather all the lessons I've learned. So just know: as compared to the you of tomorrow, you're stupid. You could learn something as soon as you walk out of here. I have an entire sheet of paper of lessons I had no idea about 4 years ago. So... here's my wish. Go out and learn something tonight. And no, looking up random facts doesn't count. Take a leap on something you were considering, or pull back and really think about something you're doing mindlessly. Gain something that'll stick with you when you're down and out. Because the mind is unmatched. Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown, everyone!"

Well, the applause was definitely louder this time around. It rose up so much that the initial impact sent her shock. She giggled a bit to herself, flattered and just a bit confused.

"Thank you all," she smiled, trying her best not to get even a bit boastful. "So, back to the topic at hand... it's Manic and Amy. You've seen the fics and the flicks: a famous band, a fan and a member fall madly in love with each other. But Manic the Drummer and Amy the Lover of the Drummer's Brother? I want to separately address the two situations... the two changes, of which one would have to happen... for this to work out. First, maybe Amy didn't fantasize over Sonic. Yes, just for a few good moments, let's imagine that Amy decided against setting off toward the blue one. Then, Amy's love for Manic would probably set off without a hitch. Manic, let's face it, is a hunk of sorts. He's the handsome drummer in a pretty good band. Amy, at the very least, would likely consider him to be eye candy, knowing her. As for Manic's side of the situation... Amy is lively, positive, and happy. If she toned it down just right... this could really act as a magnet for Manic. He's upbeat, and really, he needs someone who can keep up with him. So they're compatible. I'd put a score on a 1-10 scale at around 7. Now, let's imagine the other scenario: Amy gives up on Sonic. Will she be confident, and her dropping him will be a relief... or will it be more of a realization that she has to give up, and her heart will bleed? If she's happy with it, refer to the scenario I've already described. That would probably be even more possible because she'd want to make him jealous by finding someone better. But if she's broken... it all comes down to how Manic would feel. This is where, I suppose, it's a bit uncertain. I, unfortunately, am no Manic expert; all I really know is that he's a drummer and a thief. I can't really say much about his personality... but if Manic was to see Amy broken down, he'd know his brother was the source of all the madness. He probably knows her, for one thing, and would feel at least a good chunk of sympathy. After talking it out a bit... you know, I can't really give an answer. Toxic and Mayhem, our guests for tonight... I need your help!"

The last part was announced brightly, framed to be their introduction. As such, the audience roared with admiration, and the two aforementioned stars emerged from the curtain and made their ways to their seats. They soaked in every shout of love from the crowd.

"Hi there, guys!" Rachel beamed, taking her own seat. "Alright... Toxic, let's start with you. Is this a beautiful symphony or a dissonant bass line?"

"...Isn't Manic, in a way... similar to Scourge?" said Toxic. "Just throwing it out there, but they seem to act alike."

What a coincidence. The other green one wasn't far behind as far as the show was concerned.

"I guess it could work," Toxic shrugged. "Amy could see the good in Manic, and decide a relationship is worth a shot. But of course, Amy could also see the thieving fox inside of him and just ignore him altogether. It could go either way."

"I think this could work," said Mayhem. "If Amy just gave up on Sonic, she could go for the next-best thing, Sonic's brother!"

Something about "next-best" was a bit humorous to Rachel.

"But I guess she'd have a better chance if she tuned down the yandere in her," Mayhem explained. "If it did work, Amy would somewhat tame Manic's urge to steal people's wallets, and Manic would help Amy 'chill out.' So I guess... I ship it!"

"...For one thing, that would be a neat pick-up line for her to use," Rachel smiled. "'Quit stealing other people's money. I've got a heart beating fast that's just waiting for you to steal it away.' And another thing... when you said 'chill out' with air quotes like that... I immediately pictured them getting high. Do you think Manic could be a pot smoker?"

The crowd got a good laugh.

"I dunno," Rachel shrugged. "...I-I mean, think about it! Drummer in a band... stereotypes... agh..."

She stood, as the audience gave her a few claps.

"So it looks like this could hold some real water," she said. "Next week, we're taking a look at the other green one and the other thief. Toxic brought up this 'other green one' for a moment in his air time, and the other side, quite like Manic, gets her smiles by taking what does not belong to her. Scourge and Rouge, everyone! I'll see you all then!"

The cameras went off, and the audience filed out. Rachel, for a moment, thought about drumming up more chat with Toxic and Mayhem... but just as soon as they seemed to be there, they weren't. Suddenly, she was the only one onstage.

"Huh," she shrugged. She then went backstage.

Espio was sitting upright and looked a bit more peaceful now, but aside from that, not too much had changed.

"Another great episode," Vector smiled. "I love the VIP treatment!"

"That's not what our friendship was all about, was it?" Rachel joked.

"No, not at all," Espio answered quickly.

"Nah," said Vector. "You did a great thing for us, and we like ya!"

He glanced at Espio before looking back at Rachel. It was a bit more than "like" for that guy...

"We wanna treat you to dinner!" Vector told her. "Whaddaya say?"

"Oh!" Rachel replied. "I... usually have dinner before coming here."

"What's wrong with eatin' a little more?" asked Vector.

"Calories... nausea, if it's too much..." Rachel listed. "...But heck! Sure!"

"One moment," said Elektor's voice from somewhere.

Rachel looked to find that Elektor was less than a few inches from her side.

"Hate to poop on the party," he sighed. "But... I need to speak with you, Rachel."

"...That doesn't sound good," Rachel murmured.

She followed Elektor as he led her to the producer's office. She closed the door behind her. The array of screens on the wall was mostly shut off, with about five exceptions, all in the southeast corner. The back parking lot, the side yard, the main parking lot... Security cameras. Not too much going on out there.

And then, she directed her eyes to Elektor.

And his face which spelled disaster. Wide eyes, which wouldn't come off of her... as if he was looking for the proper moment to add a stressor to her mind.

And meanwhile, he was. How was she doing today? Would this destroy what was already a crappy day, or would it only moderately bring down what was a really bright one?

Rachel didn't exactly realize it, but Thoughts of the Unknown had cemented itself and become a huge part of her life. What sort of pain and damage would amount if it was ripped forcefully?

Elektor sighed.

"...I have no idea how to put this," he sighed, starting to shake at the latter half of the statement.

"Elektor?" asked Rachel, walking up to him.

"We're being bought out."

It didn't immediately hit her. Bought out? Like in Fortune Street, where if someone wants your shop, they give you the money and... steal...

"HUH?!" she squeaked.

"Some big-wig wants our studio," Elektor winced, sitting down in his chair. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to get all worried, because I knew damn well you would. I've been fighting them back for months, telling them over and over how much this show means to us. But they keep fighting back, trying to tell me we're violating terms or something like that. Code violations? I don't remember! But... I've finally had to resort to saying 'just a while longer.' They haven't changed. They never change..."

Elektor now had his head on his desk, holding it with both hands.

He was only a few months older than her, and he had taken charge of all of this unbelievable stress. Money, repairs... He was like the house-husband of the show.

That's probably what broke her more than the announcement itself. Seeing her friend like this and realizing how useless she'd been for the past two years... knowing he'd invested his everything into this project... it hurt.

But somehow, not as much as Elektor had expected.

"I'd been wondering..." Rachel said... so calmly it was a bit scary.

Elektor looked up at her, puzzled, as she opened a drawer and took out a list. She unfurled it so that it hit the ground.

"After a certain point, you and I decided that we couldn't just throw two people together anymore," she recalled. "We have to be stricter with what we address. Knowing that, it was made clear to me that this would be coming to an end. Remember that night? We were putting together all our topics, taking from both our own minds and the minds of our fans."

She turned the list around so that all the crossed-off items... every one of them blacked out, sans the item at the bottom, "Scourge x Rouge"... faced him. He'd just put that away after crossing off this week's topic. It was something he'd touched a total of... 87 times now? This was the 87th episode, yeah.

But... it hit him.

"We're near the end of our rope," Rachel sighed. "At least, as far as our minds go."

Elektor momentarily drifted his sight to his desk.

"You're right," Elektor nodded. "You're absolutely right. There are only so many shippings out there that aren't complete... trash... or that aren't obscure and don't take a hunt to think about..."

"Ironic, isn't it?" sighed Rachel. "We deal with them every week."

"...I didn't want to have to do this," Elektor said before reaching for his laptop and opening it. "But it's all in the fans' hands now."

"Hasn't it always been in the hands of the fans?" asked Rachel. "Think about it. Our guests are fans. Toxic and Mayhem... they're _fans_. Fans are the reason we're here."

"Yeah, but we need them now more than ever," said Elektor, pulling up the show's social media.

"I trust them," Rachel smiled. "We can keep the show going just as long as it needs to."

* * *

 **I'll elaborate. The main issue here is that I am running out of ships to address. Without the topic... what's the show? So after next week, I'm dry. There's also the matter of how busy I may be for the rest of my life; I graduate from high school and will hopefully be getting a summer job next month. After that, there's full-time college. I may or may not be... too busy. That's why I really must ask... Are there any more ships you absolutely need to see on the show?**


	90. Episode 88 (Scourge x Rouge)

**Props: I give you gratitude, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" for your OC, opinion, and ship topics for the three episodes after the next one. As well, I give gratitude to the one known as "Johnahen" for next episode's topic!**

 **Reason for lateness: Time, really. I was simply too busy yesterday.**

* * *

"I've done it," Elektor told Rachel.

He'd just walked out of his office for the first time since she'd gotten there… and she'd gotten there just a minute ago… and he was laying this on her.

"…What have you done?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I've _tossed_ the list," Elektor wailed dramatically. "You and I spent hours on that list, and everything's crossed off of it now, so it's _gone. Doomed_ to waste away in a landfill."

He was holding a piece of paper this entire time. He stopped the dramatics and held it up, so that the list on it faced her. The next four episodes.

"And I've made a new one," Elektor said normally. "This one may or may not be added to for some time. It really is in the hands of our fans now."

"Ain't it?" Rachel sighed. "Bless 'em, really."

Just 15 minutes later, everyone was in their places, and Thoughts of the Unknown started filming for one of their occasional Saturday morning episodes.

"We've been given interesting news," Rachel began. "As of Sonic Forces, we're canon! Each and every one of us simpletons cannot technically be called simpletons anymore!"

Little chunks of the audience screamed and applauded in a frenzy of excitement. It seemed like some of the others were just clapping to fit in.

As for Rachel… She spaced out for a bit. No longer simpletons… If this show, which had been going on for nearly two years, was about simpletons sitting down to bond together, didn't the news essentially knock that meaning out of commission? Huh.

"So today, we're reaching into the dark alleys to pull out a couple of troublemakers and put them together," she said. "There are many troublemakers, yes… but today, we're looking at whether Scourge the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat would be compatible. And something tells me, at least, that they're not. This is really because Scourge is a true evil maniac. Rouge is just an ass. To Rouge, I think Scourge's antics would be going entirely too far. As for the green one… She's a girl. She's going to run into the prick at some point. I don't think anything mutual will come from this. At most, she'll just be another temporary target. That's what I think. Let's get our guest out here and get his twenty-five cents. Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic!"

Toxic emerged from the curtain and paced toward his seat, soaking in every clap and every cheer as usual. This was how he spent part of his weekends now…

"Heyo, Toxic!" Rachel greeted him, finding her seat. "So… what do we think of this?"

"Hmm," Toxic pondered aloud. "I guess it could work out. They'd actually be a good match, seeing as they are both… rebellious. Scourge seems to be Rouge's ideal type, and I guess Scourge would like Rouge's style of living…. Anyway, I say this could happen."

"So they'll make it work, you think?" asked Rachel. "Well… if love is there, it'll find its way!"

She stood.

"Well, that's about all we have for this week," she said. "Tune in next time when we once again reach a hand into the Mushroom Kingdom and keep one in Mobius… and yes, it may seem like we're just throwing two evil big-wigs together, but bear with us. Dr. Eggman and Bowser. We'll see you all then!"

The cameras shut down, the audience filed out with hopes, and Rachel and Toxic made their ways backstage.

It kinda hit Rachel piece-by-piece again. There wasn't an infinite amount of this show left. She was graduating from high school soon, and moving on to the rest of her life.

She sat down on the nearest couch, rested her elbows on her knees, rested her face in her hands, and really surveyed it all again.

The existential crisis that had kept her awake for at least an hour the previous night. As optimistic as she may have seemed, she had a few dark viewpoints hiding in her cranium.

Thinking it all over again, she didn't realize that Elektor had walked out of his office.

With a certain figure in tow.

"The first time I see you in ages, and you're in the dumps," this figure told Rachel.

It chilled her, the realization of whose voice this was. She looked up and proved herself right. It had been a while, hadn't it? A while since those eyes had stirred anything in her soul, even.

Elektor had walked out of his office with Silver the Hedgehog.

"O-Oh," she replied. "I'm just… thinking about something. Did I really seem that sad just now?"

"Quite," said Elektor.

"What's going on?" asked Silver.

"…My career path," Rachel sighed. "I've run… into a bit of an existential crisis, and now, I'm rethinking my career path. And I hate the feeling of not knowing my future."

This may not have been a surprise, but the last statement struck a certain note with Silver.

"Do you wanna… talk about it?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"Sure," said Rachel. "I think I've figured out a better way to put it. Before I explain… The real question here is which kind of death would be the worst. Death by famine or drought, or death by a medical issue?"

Silver raised a brow, and Elektor verbalized a "Huh?"

"I'd originally planned to become a radiologist and medical researcher in my future," Rachel explained. "But… with more medical breakthroughs and more doctors, more inhabitants are going to live and become born. This planet can only support so many people. With more people living, we'll quicker approach the point at which we're struggling for food and water. So… should I go down this path and have more lives be saved from disease, or abandon it and potentially slow, or halt, any possibility of our planet not being able to support us?"

The two hedgehogs were dumbfounded for a good few seconds.

"…Uh…" Elektor replied. "I feel like no matter what you do, we'll reach that breaking point at some point."

"If I did go on… I'm afraid I'd be in it for the money anymore," Rachel sighed. "I want to live somewhere that I know is pricier than most places, and I was counting on this career path to make that happen… but I don't want to be in a career just for myself."

And she realized something. She lowered her voice a bit, to try to speak to herself.

"What if I push myself forward by saying I've already made the promise?" she asked herself. "I mean… it's been announced to my classmates that I'm going down the pre-medical path. I made the promise to myself that I'd see my dreams come true. I never make promises, but when I do, I try my hardest not to break them. No other career seems as fulfilling… but I could always rent, then save to pay off the house with a different career. But… this path would make people's lives happier…"

A moment of silence.

"I dunno," she groaned, burying her face in her hands.


	91. Episode 89 (Bowser x Eggman)

**Props: Thank you very, very much, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" and one known as "Aldamon600" (formerly known as "ThatGuyNamedGuy") for the OCs and opinions! You're a whole lot of the life to the show!**

 **Reason for lateness: I got caught up in another writing project and wanted to take a break before writing this. Don't want to burn myself out.**

* * *

"So, how 'bout that existential crisis?"

That was the literal first thing Rachel _sensed_ as she walked through the door that Saturday morning. Ah, good ol' Elektor… asking the real questions around here.

"I've actually overcome it," Rachel told Elektor with pride. "I can go on knowing the world might end before the population reaches the planet's capacity. So while we're here, I may as well save lives and make a difference in many more lives. Radiology's really my calling. I'm excited to get there."

"…You've twisted something dark and turned it into something lighter," Elektor smirked. "Great job."

Rachel walked over to the couch and set her purse down.

"Hey, regarding yesterday…" said Elektor. "I'm… wondering about the value of possibly… hiring a few helping hands. If Luke and I weren't both busy with that seminar last night…"

"I wouldn't," Rachel insisted. "The show's only going to go on for so much longer. It'd be a temporary job. I'd hate to raise someone's hopes only to bring them back down a bit later."

"…True," Elektor shrugged.

Roughly 20 minutes later, Rachel was on stage, the audience was waiting eagerly for things to kick off, and Trevor gave the point and flipped the camera on.

"So after graduation, they're putting us on a bus, without cell phones or anything, and taking us to an undisclosed location," Rachel told her audience. "…No, seriously. The gimmick is that we have no idea where we're going. All night. Until 6am."

Some suspicious chatter rumbled from the audience.

Elektor, who was working the show from his office, wasn't sure whether to laugh or be afraid.

"That's what baffles me more," said Rachel. "What recreational places are going to want to stay open all night for us? I dunno. If you hear I've been murdered, blame graduation. Anyway, welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience applauded, amused by the start the show had gotten off to.

"So this week, we're pinning a couple of enemies together," said Rachel. "It's probably been done a lot with other things… but who'da thought of a shipping of regular ol' Bowser Koopa and Dr. Eggman? Oh, I watched a video on Sonic Generations recently, and… anyone wonder why, exactly, Eggman wanted to become a teacher?"

Some more chatter from the audience.

"And what went _wrong_?" asked Rachel. "How do you go from wanting to make people smarter to imprisoning animals? How do you go from education to animal cruelty? You know, when I put it like that, it sounds a bit realistic… Anyway! That guy and a turtle! I don't see it, really just because they don't have awesome chemistry. Whenever they've worked together, it's been more of an 'Oh, you have something I need, and I may be able to help you' sort of thing. There's no real bond there, you know? Let's get our prized guests out here and get their takes. Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic and Mayhem!"

Again, Toxic and Mayhem soaked in the praise as they found their seats.

Rachel, once again finding her own seat, said "Let's hop right into it. I… actually just got an image of a turtle and an egg. Don't turtles lay eggs?"

"Please don't stir up some new conspiracy theory," Mayhem laughed, resting his face in his palm.

"…Oh, Chaos," Rachel chuckled.

"I don't really see this happening," said Toxic. "They're both incredibly stubborn and one-minded towards their goals, they wouldn't let anybody get in their way, and… aren't they both guys?"

"Heck, you don't know," Rachel shrugged. "…Bowser would be bi at most because of his whole deal with Peach, but imagine Eggman coming out of the closet. We never see him fall for any girls, so…"

Toxic sighed.

"I just don't understand this sort of thing…" he admitted. "But nonetheless, I think they could work together decently."

He coughed. Something akin to "before Eggman decides to betray Bowser" came out with it. He coughed again.

"But I don't think a relationship could happen."

"Yeah, I don't really see this happening, either," said Mayhem. "Bowser and Eggman seem alike, yes… but they'd only tear their relationship apart, IF they managed to get into one. Their personalities would clash every time they even talked to each other, because one: They're both 'aggressive' and boastful. Two: They would only talk about destroying their enemy, which can turn into a real bore real fast. Anyway, I don't think this will ever happen."

Rachel stood.

"So this is a wash," she said. "Burn it."

"Burn it," Toxic repeated.

"Welp… that's that for this week," Rachel said to the audience. "Tune in next time… when we keep on keepin' along the enemy track. I think. We haven't talked about this shipping's latter half in a while, so my memory's fuzzy. Scourge and Breezie. If I'm correct, a couple of troublemaking hedgehogs. We'll see you all then!"


	92. Episode 90 (Scourge x Breezie)

**Props: Thank you, Reaver17, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" and one known as "Aldamon600" for the OCs! And thank you again, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish" for the topics for at least the next two episodes! And the anonymous reader who proposed that idea for a chapter… I sorta wanna hug you. I'd planned on doing something like that all along. It wouldn't be a live episode, but more like a friendly chat among the guests and other OCs. It'll be one of the things to close off Thoughts of the Unknown.**

* * *

"Subject designation: Ultimate Lifeform attempt number 0021," a certain someone read aloud from a file, leaning against the wall. "Status: failure. Subject was found in the wreckage of downed ship after Black Arms offensive on Earth, displays independence of alien hive mind which insures survival on its own."

This figure was completely the same as Rachel had seen him… but somehow, she sensed a difference.

"Extremely violent…" the figure went on.

It was Void holding and reading that file. She wasn't sure about the distinction between his reading to himself and reading in the hopes that someone could hear. Either perception could have been correct.

But… violent? There was something either hidden or wrong, if he was reading a file on himself… which she had to infer was the case.

"Holds considerable physical strength and advanced tactical rampages on invaded planets," Void read on.

No way…

"Supposedly one of Black Doom's failed attempts to create a weapon prior to enlisting Gerald Robotnik to create Project Shadow. Charged with 73 separate counts of war crimes, issued a restricted pardon upon discovery that he sabotaged his people's last invasion, apparently grew a conscience after associating with several of his guards, who told them about their personal lives…"

In a fleeting millisecond, Void held the folder with the file up beside him, shut it, and looked Rachel's way.

"Me and Nicole broke up," he sighed. "She was angry about this." He waved the file.

She wanted to say something about how she was more surprised that he seemed to expect her standing there… but he'd just broken the news of tragedy. Or so she took it.

"I'm… sorry," she told him.

"Remember that call I got?" Void explained. "With the nutjobs asking about immortality? Turns out they were BIG FANS of the monsters that used planets as food, came knocking on doors waving copies of this in everybody's face. She didn't take it too well when she got one."

He chuckled… but there was no light in it. It wasn't even an evil laugh of amusement. It was… sour. Didn't deserve to be a chuckle.

"Probably for the best," he shrugged. "Her and all her work in Mobotropolis… Never seemed to have time for me anyway. The people come first, and I am unfortunately not one of the people."

He walked over to the other side of the room, where a small trash bin waited along the wall, and tossed the file into it. The rustles of the plastic bag inside were sour to Rachel, too. All of this left a bad taste in her gut. He was quite the person.

He turned to face Rachel directly.

"I know there was that big moment we had with the whole chaos feeding fiasco…" he said. "But I get it if you decide you don't like what you just heard. I can leave and not come back."

"No, that's not true," Rachel said without a second thought. "I don't like what you've said, but only because it seems to have hurt you. It's not like you've hurt any of us."

"…At least this week," said Void. "I will unfortunately not be appearing."

He sat down on the nearest couch for a moment.

"This always happens, you know," he despaired. "I finally find something that's going good for me, and then some cosmic force intervenes to screw it up again."

What was there for her to say? Talk like this was instinctively a red flag for her, indicating the speaker's life was at risk, even if they didn't intend it. Keep trying. No, that's too basic and forced. You're bound to run into a wealth of fortune someday as long as you never give up.

But… would he believe her?

"Just thought I'd let you know," said Void. "You were good friends, the lot of you."

This went from not good to _horrid_. She couldn't watch him leave like this.

He got up and paced toward the door. Rachel's heart was racing, pumping blood that seemed to have razor blades in it.

He stopped momentarily turned his head around, and smiled. Reminded her of a certain character she knew.

"Oh," he said. "And I just thought Elektor might like to know… I left the money for all of my previous damages in an envelope on his desk."

His expression suddenly widened a bit. His smile turned into a skeptical smirk.

The look on her face… She looked as if she'd just witnessed a breakup, knowing her… which, in a way, was no exaggeration. He didn't realize she'd take it this hard. Either that… or she had the wrong idea.

"I-I'll show up next week!" he assured her.

Oh, if she could have let that sigh of relief into the air without looking stupid...

This certainly calmed her.

"I suppose I'll know to leave again if I see torches and pitchforks, eh?" he quipped. He then laughed to himself and walked out.

"I'll throw water over the torches for ya!" Rachel called, hoping he'd heard.

Friendships just seemed to be crumbling and changing around her for a while now. This one remained intact, but it was an extra serving on her stress plate for a bit there.

Roughly half an hour later, it was go time.

Hmm… Rachel was looking in Trevor's, the main cameraman's, direction... and he seemed rather enthused about something. His eyes lit up like light bulbs with their color.

Or… wait, he really wasn't that different at all. Had she just ignored how bubbly he was?

He pointed at her, and the cameras were on.

"I'm surprised I'm still standing," Rachel laughed. "So for that graduation bus trip I was talking about, they took us an hour north of here to an ice rink, an entertainment center, a hypnotist show, and a trampoline park. And I think that last one's killed my legs. You have no idea of the pain I bear on this night. On the bright side, I'm done with the K-12 school system! Hey… These pre-show speeches have really been life updates in general, haven't they? I'll try to keep them light-hearted. Don't want to seem like I'm using you guys to vent. Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The audience showered the room with praise.

"So tonight, we're reaching into the baddie pool and putting another couple of them together," she continued. "Scourge and Breezie, a couple of no-goodies. I really have nothing for you because I… don't know Breezie. I'd need to really know her before I could say anything. I do have guests, though. Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic and Mayhem!"

All the happiness, all the noise, and all while the aforementioned stars made their ways to their seats.

"Let's get right into this so you can heal yourself, huh?" asked Toxic.

"I… yeah! Sure!" Rachel said with a bit of a laugh. "Go right on ahead!"

"Scourge the anti-Sonic and Breezie the… whatever she is," said Toxic. "I guess it could work. They both seem to hate Sonic to some degree."

"No bonding quite like having dirt on the same enemies," Rachel shrugged.

"Breezie is a con master, and Scourge is an outlaw, kind of," Toxic explained. "They'd probably work pretty well together, but I don't think a legitimate relationship would happen overnight."

"So they might work, but not overnight," Rachel reiterated. "Even knowing Scourge? Huh."

"I actually say this could happen," said Mayhem, seeming excited about it. "They'd be almost ideal for each other. Breezie is a lot like Fiona, personality-wise, and Scourge obviously already digs Fiona because she 'chooses to be bad,' and, like, Breezie is just another fine example of that. I think this is a home run kind of ship, because it could actually happen and develop."

"Great to hear!" Rachel said, standing up. "So… we've run into something probable here!"

"Looks like it!" said Toxic, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Alright!" Rachel beamed. "Next week, Breezie will still be in the mind. We'll just be… shifting her over to the right, or switching Scourge out for Rouge, so to speak. Yes, folks… Rouge and Breezie has been brought up, and we'll be talking about it. We'll see you all then!"

The cameras went off, the audience began to flood out, and Rachel went backstage, going over her exchange with Void again. Because doing so brought something else to her attention.

The two of them had joked that they'd work together to win the hearts of the ones they so crushed on at the time, Void on Nicole and Rachel on Espio.

Void eventually won Nicole over, but Rachel had given up on Espio. Simply that. And now that Nicole was likely suffering through a breakup nearby her good pal Espio… Rachel was grateful for her ability to move on. Otherwise, this would have spelled the next breakup of the two halves of her heart.

She had to think about her feelings occasionally, though. On one point, seeing Espio and hearing his voice brought up familiar uprisings in her heart… the sweet ones, like clouds of a beautiful fragrance.

On the other hand, though… he sometimes seemed much more like a father figure. Or a teacher figure, or a _much_ -elder-brother figure. It was strange. He seemed much older than he actually was.

Huh. Some interesting reflection for the night. Maybe she'd go over it some more when she got home and writhed in pain some more.


	93. Episode 91 (Rouge x Breezie)

**Props: Thank you so very much, one known as "ShadsyStarsWish," one known as "Aldamon600," and Reaver17 for the OCs and opinions! You three are like my comrades here, and comrades of the show!**

* * *

"Hi…" Shadow sighed, pointing at Void. "I'm here to make sure nobody tears him apart."

How long had it been since Shadow and Rachel had stood in this backstage room at once, and this is the greeting he had to offer? Indeed, those two and Void began their night by standing here and having this conversation.

"Or vice versa," Void shrugged.

He glanced at Shadow, whose brow furrowed even more, and smirked.

"Easy, little bro," he chuckled. "I'm kidding."

"We are barely related," Shadow snapped. "And you are barely a month older than me."

"You were in a tube for fifty-something years," countered Void. "I was actually living."

Damn. Rachel had to hold back a snort of amusement.

"Then you should grow up," Shadow growled.

"And YOU should take some cues from your BIG brother and try smiling more," said Void.

That certainly did allow Void a more fulfilling life, now that Rachel thought about it. Void had loved and lost, had earned his rightful place on a rightful tattered throne… and Shadow… eh…

"Now, go take a seat," Void asked, giving Shadow a solid pat on the back. "I paid for a ticket, so you're using it."

Rachel smiled for a moment, while Shadow huffed and went out the backstage door. Initially, Rachel's gut sunk, but… the curtain to the stage led _right to said stage_. Where everyone was looking. Seeing Shadow the Hedgehog emerge from backstage out of nowhere would certainly cause an uproar. That was sharp of you, Shadow. Or was Rachel just a bit slow to catch on?

"Hi," said Void, bringing Rachel out of her thoughts and back to reality.

He opened his arms and put on a sheepish smile.

"Sooooo…" he said. "Can I get a hug?"

That was new.

"Sure, go for it!" Rachel replied, being a real sucker for hugs.

And so, they brought each other in for a quick embrace. Half of Rachel knew that this was new for Void and was starting to go into Ace Attorney mode to try to figure it out. The other half of her, though, remembered the utter hell-and-back he'd been through. That in itself justified a lot.

A few minutes later, Void and the two other guests were waiting gleefully behind the curtain, Rachel was watching Trevor for the signal, and Trevor was quick to give said signal. Geez, the guy put so much of a secret energy into it. It was just a point, but… maybe it was the smile that went with it? The twinkle in his eye? "You're doing great! You got this!", it seemed to say. Trevor was just a bubbly hedgehog… and occasionally, she wondered if he was a distant ancestor of Silver's.

"So there's a spider having babies in my bathroom window," she said to her audience.

A haunting silence fell across the studio for a brief moment.

"Yeah, I'm starting with that," Rachel nodded. "Welcome back to Thoughts of the Unknown!"

And the audience applauded as the blissful usual.

"So this week is a yuri week," she said. "We're taking a couple of cunning women and seeing if they'd bond together as just that. A couple. Rouge and Breezie, everyone. From what I've heard, I'm pretty sure they'd at least get along quite well. Really just because they're similar. The only thing I could imagine could get in the way of it, though, is if Breezie did something that went a bit too far in Rouge's eyes. But is that even possible? Who knows? Let's get our three guests out here to perhaps give better takes than the jumble of words I've put out. Please welcome back to the stage… Toxic, Mayhem, and Void!"

The audience sang their praises with hands and hollers as the three aforementioned made their ways to their seats.

"HELLLLLLLLOOOOO, THOUGHTS OF THE UNKNOWN!" Void hollered, slowly emerging from behind the curtain, leaping gracefully to his seat, and snuggling into it. "I love you all!"

He scanned the audience and found Shadow… with not so much as an open eye. He was more off to the side, motionless… as if some crazed fan had brought a cutout. Tsk, how disappointing.

"Well, hello there, all!" said Rachel. "So what do we think of this? A blowout deal or a ripoff?"

"I don't really see it happening," said Toxic. "They'd probably argue WAY too much over money and guys, or something along those lines. And I have this feeling Breezie would be the type to backstab Rouge."

It's like what Rachel was trying to imply before. Breezie seemed the more extreme of the duo.

"I guess, if Breezie had even a speck of sympathy for others," said Toxic. "She and Rouge might form a neutral friendship, but not a romantic relationship."

"So not going much further than that," said Rachel.

"I don't see it, either," Mayhem shrugged. "Like Toxic said, they'd argue too much to even have a civilized conversation, and said argument would probably turn into a catfight… not that I mean any offense to any female characters present…"

"I mean, two guys getting into it would be a catfight, too," Rachel shrugged. "Or… would it be more of a dogfight? I dunno. Cats and dogs can both be scary."

"Really, though," said Mayhem. "Two seductive girls getting into a relationship?"

"It's a popular genre of pornography…" Rachel murmured. "So…"

"Breaking the guys' hearts by falling for each other," Void smiled. "Ultimate twist."

"And it's probably happened," said Rachel.

"Well… for this, no," Mayhem said. "Not in a million years would I say this could happen."

"…Breezie and Rouge…" said Void. "Makes sense. And no, I'm NOT being sarcastic."

His voice checked out, too. Not a drop of sarcasm to be had.

"Think about it," said Void. "Both independent women… both have similarly neutral morals… both thieves of some persuasion… both greedy and working to further their own gains… both fans of flirting just to be annoying…"

"In that case, I couldn't feel enough sympathy for the poor buckos that fall for these two," Rachel laughed.

"And both have worked with Dr. Baldy McNosehair," said Void. "Now TO BE FAIR, Rouge does have her heroic moments, but… you know, the more I talk about it… why didn't we think of this one sooner?"

"This one was fan-suggested," said Rachel. "…Not sure if that answers your question."

"Well, it gets a definite yes from me," said Void.

Rachel stood.

"So Rouge and Breezie... is up for debate," she said. "It seems it could land anywhere on the scale, from mortal enemies to soulmates."

"Seems so," said Toxic.

"Well, folks," Rachel said. "Get ready for what may feel like a massive shift. We're withdrawing from the baddie pool and getting as innocent as I think you can get. We're heading to the Chao Garden and putting our lovable Cheese with a fellow Chao who he seems to have considerable concern for. We're shipping Cheese and Chocola, everyone, next time on Thoughts of the Unknown!"

The cameras shut off, the audience trickled out, and those onstage went backstage.

Rachel thought it wouldn't be too much of a ruckus. Everyone grabs their bags and heads out. Nothing unusual.

She certainly couldn't have predicted the desperate pleading coming from Elektor's office.

"Please, sir…" he said, audibly shaking. "…Why is our building so valuable to you guys, anyway?"

She seemed to be the only one that heard it. She supposed she barely picked up on it herself. Realizing what this was about, she put her ear up to the wall by Elektor's door.

"…No, I get it," he sighed. "…We're out in the middle of scenic nowhere… What do you mean 'that's why you want it?'"

This was going nowhere fast. Way too fast.

Some businessy buckos wanted to put them out of a show. Reminded her a lot of the aforementioned Baldy McNosehair.

* * *

 **Question to the reader: Are there any more shippings you all need to see addressed on the show? Not all will be done, but all will be considered!**


	94. Episode 92 (Cheese x Chocola)

**Props: For making this episode possible, I thank Reaver17, the one known as "ShadsyStarsWish", and the one known as "Fiirefly".**

 **Okay… This is hard… I want you all, my fans through and through, to take a few deep breaths. Maybe… no, I was about to say "close your eyes," but that's counterproductive. Now, let it be known that you're about to encounter something harrowing. Something that may make you emotional. Okay, take a few more breaths for me. There's no easy way to say this.**

 **This, I believe, will be the final regular episode of Thoughts of the Unknown. Not the final chapter of the fanfic… but the final episode of the show.**

 **I'm sorry for a lot. I feel like I'm serving out a cold dish of disrespect to you all, but… I guess I'll explain my reasoning after the episode. Like "Fiirefly"… you've just made your appearance, right at the end. Real sorry it happened this way.**

 **Reason for lateness: I got home late yesterday, then got sick for most of today. I'm feeling alright now.**

* * *

"I failed."

"You didn't fail, Elektor."

"What do you mean, 'I didn't fail,' Rachel? They won. They're getting the studio. This production we've built from the ground up in our hearts for two whole fantastic years… i-is all being taken from us because I couldn't fight hard enough."

"Elektor, don't say that. This is not your fault at all. If anyone's to blame, it's probably me. I should have done more to help."

"..."

The final rainy evening. The final moments backstage, blanketed by the rain from outside that seemed to be pouring on and off since just a moment ago. The finality of it all weighed pretty heavily on both Elektor the Hedgehog and Rachel the Fox. Like something akin to a piano was hanging by hooks off their hearts.

Elektor walked away, quite suddenly to Rachel. Hiding his eyes with the brim of his black cap, he retreated into his office. He had a lot of goodbyes to say in there, didn't he? Every screen that'd lent him an eye to the world, for instance. All that machinery had probably fascinated him, making him akin to a child who wanted to become a pilot being in the cockpit.

She half wanted to go in there and say something… but what was there? That this by no means would impact their companionship? That it's not like this is goodbye forever or anything like that? Those things were important… but goodbyes they were never getting again ranked higher on the list. She figured she'd better leave him to it.

A brief moment of silence swept by… which was quickly replaced by a floorboard-rumbling snore. She thought she recognized it from somewhere.

She looked around until her eyes centered on Void. She knew it. Knew it like the back of her hand.

Stuff… like, word and sleep-noise stuff… was coming from his mouth. Little mutters and sounds made it clear he was completely out.

"I wasn't…" he muttered. He then laughed all sleepily.

A dream? Hmm…

"Baldy McNosehair…" he droned. "Little bro… grumpy… scratched his motorcycle… Pfft… happy… Void… happy…"

So Eggman scratched Shadow's motorcycle? Oh my… Was he dreaming about the family he really never had? She had to smile a bit as she tried to picture what sort of scene was going on in his active mind.

And her heart sunk for the third time that night. He was happy? He had the sort of happiness that the news she had to bear was going to crush. He didn't know yet. Nor did Toxic or the new guest, Cassiopeia. She thought.

That was even worse. For the final time, a brave soul decided to let her voice be heard on global television. She was known as Cassiopeia the Lynx, and Rachel could tell she was going to be an interesting soul to have.

One of the many futile wishes dissipating in the night sky was that Cassiopeia could have known this going in.

But nobody could have known it was going to end now. She herself only found out the previous night that the battle had been lost. The news, and an official takeover date, was delivered over the phone by an Elektor who was more than clearly soaked with regrets.

…Weren't they getting a huge sum of money, though?

She turned toward Elektor's door, thinking of her plan to ask him about just that, when she smelled the rainy air again and realized that the door had been opened again. She looked and saw Toxic and… who was that?

Ah, that must have been Cassiopeia! Her fur was a yellow-blonde. The violet in her eyes matched that of her dress (Quite well, actually. How'd she do that?), and her hair was tied back into a ponytail.

She so wanted to be cheerful, seeing the new guest in person for the first time.

"I think I know why you look so sad," Toxic sighed.

She looked at him straight-on. He actually seemed rather glum himself! What was going on here?

Wait… he knew? Did he?

"Hold up…" said Rachel, reaching into her bag and taking out her phone. She had a sneaking suspicion. She accessed Thoughts of the Unknown's social media page.

Well, son of a goat. Elektor had really saved her a lot of pain. He'd made the announcement to the public that tonight would be the final show.

"What's going on?" asked Cassiopeia. "My first time here, and everyone's all sad!"

Well, that answered Rachel's next question. She didn't know.

Did Void know? He couldn't have. He was far too content to have found out.

Elektor's door opened, and Elektor himself stepped out, seeming to have composed himself. Rather quickly.

"I see you're all here now," he said.

He looked over at Void's snoring form.

"Or I thought so," he muttered.

He planted a good stomp on the floor. And everyone was amazed to see that this was enough to make the guy's eyes fly wide open.

"H-Huh?" he asked, his eyes darting around for that moment.

Nobody said anything, so he then shrugged and made his way closer to the group.

"What's going on?" he asked. "And… Toxic, Rachel, Elektor… new face… what's with those looks on your glum faces?"

"This is the show's last episode," Elektor stated, his voice as plain and as simple as possible.

His eyes were behind the brim of his cap again. He had his head hung so that this was so. Rachel could tell he was barely hanging on. It added to the silence that seemed to go on for minutes.

After a literal thirty seconds of silence, Void let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, good one, guys!" he chuckled. "It's not April Fools Day or… anything…"

His laughter was shot down _quick_ by the solemn looks he was being given. Rachel, Elektor, and Toxic all looked at him without a word.

"…Y-You mean it?" asked Cassiopeia. "But I… This is my first episode!"

"It was short-notice for us, too," Rachel sighed. "I wasn't told until last night."

"S-Some bigwigs are buying the studio," Elektor shook, clearly trying to hold it all back. "This is… the last day we can be here."

This just made Rachel want to stay forever. Never letting go of these old black walls and pipes… Never lifting herself from the orange couch… Never walking out that door again.

"…Y-You're serious?" Void shook.

He looked more crushed than Rachel… no, anyone… had ever seen him. It seemed as if he was staring at Mobius if it collapsed in on itself.

Elektor nodded… and immediately, Void got the message. He'd never see Elektor cry, but he was ready to do just that.

"…This is a major bummer…" Cassiopeia sighed.

"…Hey, look," Rachel interjected. "First off… they're giving us a pretty big sum of money for this, right?"

"You can have it," said Elektor. "That's not what ever mattered to me."

"Not me, either, but… we're splitting it," Rachel insisted. "You're really scraping for it, aren't you? I insist."

A moment of silence.

"And this doesn't mean goodbye for us as companions," she also insisted, considering putting a hand on his and Void's shoulders. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. We gotta still be friends!"

Elektor looked up at her.

"…I never intended on leaving you behind," he said.

"Good," Rachel nodded. "Void, Toxic, Cassiopeia… I deeply hope I won't lose you all either. We can still be buddies, huh?"

More silence, in which everyone seemed to be reading the air for some sort of answer. Rachel glanced back at the clock and heard a noise from onstage. It was showtime.

"Well, let's make this last episode count!" she smiled.

They all looked at her. They questioned how she could smile at a time like this.

But nevertheless… for what was very possibly the final time, everyone had to get into position.

As the cameramen readied their cameras, and as the audience chattered to themselves, Rachel was crushed to find that Trevor had lost his usual energy. He wasn't smiling, but smirking.

He didn't even look her way when he pointed, signaling the episode's start.

"So…" Rachel sighed. "…I know who my roommate for college is now! It was a close one, but it worked out!"

And to Rachel's utter relief, the audience got all excited and cheered for her.

That's right, she thought to herself. Don't you guys give up your energy on me until the very end, alright? I've had enough of this doom…

"So… this week," said Rachel. "A bit fitting for the finale… We're pairing a couple of Chao together. We've never, as far as I know, brought Chaos into the fray before. Well, now, we are. Cheese and Chocola!"

One or two cringes were perfectly audible from the audience.

"…Let's bring our guests out here to uncover whether or not this is really so cringeworthy!" she joked. "And for what may be the final time… we have a new guest."

The audience exploded with enthusiasm again. Every time was a godsend.

"Right," Rachel smiled. "Let's get our returning guests out here first! Please welcome back to the stage… Void and Toxic!"

The two stars really made their entrances count. Somehow, as they waved and made their ways to their seats, their smiles were bigger than Rachel had ever seen them.

This was the final time Void would place himself in his throne... Well, no. That didn't have to be. Rachel could take it, and if Void wanted it, he could have it. THAT was not getting in the hands of some businessmen.

"And now, let's give our new face a grand welcome!" Rachel beamed. "Please welcome to our family… Cassiopeia the Lynx!"

The audience screamed and hollered as they saw the lynx emerge from the curtain. She paused for a second, grasping for the first time what her audience looked like.

She'd seen the show… but she still found herself having no idea what to think. They all looked so warm and so welcoming. If everyone's a critic, where are the ones in this audience?

She then waved and made her way to the empty seat between Toxic and Void.

"Hey, all," Rachel waved to the three of them, taking her own seat. "So… It's been a while since I've gotten to ask this, but… Cassiopeia…"

Void and Toxic knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Feel free to keep quiet, because I understand the nature of the question," said Rachel. "We always have asked this to newcomers of the show. So… do you have your heart set on any of the Sonic cast? Like, any celeb crushes?"

And Cassiopeia did just what she was told she could do. She didn't make a peep for five seconds.

"Understood!" said Rachel. "So… we got a bit of a negative response from the audience in regard to these two Chao."

"Oh," said Void. "Oh dear… Um… This is REALLY awkward, but… Cheese and Chocola are, um… twin brothers, sooooooooo…"

Well, that explains a lot. Rachel had that feeling of guilt for existing. Then, the audience chuckled a bit. More than likely, some were now tying the word "stupidity" to Rachel.

"How was I supposed to know they're related?!" Toxic muttered, sinking into his chair. Indeed, he'd been the one to suggest the topic.

"Yeah, let's go with no," Void concluded quickly.

"Eh, I-I'd have to go with Void on this one…" Toxic groaned. "Just no…" Poor thing.

"I don't see it," said Cassiopeia. "I mean, like they've said, they're twins. It'd just be wrong to have them be dating each other, let alone have romantic feelings for one another."

"Right," said Rachel.

She stood. It was a bit more difficult than usual.

"So… they're related," Rachel sighed. "We've accidentally proposed incest… TWINcest, even… here on Thoughts of the Unknown. Huh."

A moment of silence. All eyes were on her. What was next week's topic? Actually… why wasn't there a next week?

Rachel scanned her audience. Her loyal, magnificent audience. The ones who, even if nobody else had, always made sure she knew she had the power to amaze.

She then looked back at her three guests. These three buddies of hers… who'd bothered to talk to her… show their interest in what she'd created… It meant the world.

And it weighed about as much as the universe. Now she was fighting back tears. Okay… Deep breath. Everyone already knows. Everyone knows who needs to know. They're just waiting for the explanation.

"…It's a sad night here," she sighed. "…You know… I-It'd take me all night for me to put together every word it would take to show my gratitude for you all. It's meant so much having fans like you. Actually… it's probably thanks to you that I have the self-confidence I do. Now, I have no super-inflated ego or anything, don't get me wrong. You all are just, in part, responsible for my knowing I have any potential."

She turned to face the right, so that she could address both her audience and her guests equally.

"Thoughts of the Unknown, even if I didn't quite see it sometimes, has been a huge part of my most recent two years. I've… changed so much in the past two years. A lot of crap and ceremony has happened in the past two years. And you all have been here for all of it. That's more than I could say for… anyone else, really. I always had fun whenever I came here. I fell in love… had my heart broken… been charmed, been cast in the dirt… helped others through tragedy and felt it myself… Cried and laughed all the same... It's always a good time here."

After this, she swore she heard a sniffle in the audience.

"Every one of you means so much to me," she concluded. "It's been amazing having people following me and my work. It helps to assure me that I… belong alive, you know?"

She paused again.

"I couldn't voice all my gratitude for every living being in this studio without starting to sound like a broken record," she sighed. "I wish I could say more without that happening. Well… I suppose I could say one more thing. Our being bought out only sped up the inevitable."

A rumble of gasps from the audience.

"Even if we weren't being bought out, the show would likely have ended before fall of this year," she said. "I'm changing. My life is changing. I'm heading to full-on university in the fall, three hours from here. My interests are changing. My schedule will be changing. And… more prominently than anything, we've run out of good discussions. There are just no more topics out there that aren't either a unanimous NO or requiring a bunch of research."

Some of the audience nodded.

"Well… again, I wish I could have said more, but… broken record. I'd become one real quick. I just can't believe this is goodbye, all. I'll see you all sometime… someplace… around… Yep. I'll see you all then."

* * *

 **I wish this didn't have to be so sudden, but… from my perspective, as the writer… I'm hoping to get a summer job, for one thing. Also, I'm just not as crazy about Sonic as I was when I started the show. I'm still a fan, don't get me wrong… Just not a superfan.**

 **And I go off to college in a few months. That'll likely eat up a bunch of time.**

 **But more importantly than anything… we've just run dry of topics that would bring up easy and interesting conversations. I've been hinting at this night for a long time.**

 **Like my OC said… which I would like to direct at all of you… I am SO, SO grateful you all have existed and become this part of my life. You've given me confidence… strength… self-discovery… and happiness.**

… **What I didn't bring up in the story, though, is that I'm going to leave this story as in-progress indefinitely. Sonic Forces is coming out, and more games will come out in the future. This means we could meet some new faces in the future, and new compatibilities will arise. If I get word of a good topic from now on… we could do future episodes as if the characters are doing a podcast. That could be perfect, actually. They would just be sporadic, not regular.**

 **I made this sound so final, but it's really just the end of the regular episodes! And I'll still be updating for a few more weeks with some epilogue-ish stuff. And by no means is this the end of my fanfiction days in general!**

 **That brings me to the two questions I would like to ask you all, if you've made it this far!**

 **Question #1: There have been many character interactions and stories throughout the course of Thoughts of the Unknown. Are there any interactions or plot points you would like me to tie up or write a bit more about?**

 **Question #2: You may recall, an anonymous reader proposed we do something like an OC x Canon thing, where we talk about shippings of our OCs with the canon characters. I'll likely have it set in a casual setting, like a restaurant… but out of ALL the OCs that have featured on the show, who would you like to see involved?**


	95. Quarter of the End

**Me... a... hero?**

 **I've always wanted to be one of those, and... I just can't believe it. I've never believed that I could make that sort of impact in the lives of others. When I think of "hero," I think of Markiplier. I'm nowhere close to that. I'm a laughter repellant. I've never been truly close to anyone I've been in contact with in real life.**

 **But knowing that I'm apparently a hero... It brings me a peace that is unmatchable by anything else. Assurance I'm worth something on this crazy planet.**

 **So thank you both (Reaver17 and one known as**  
 **ShadsyStarsWish") for telling me how this wild ride has made you feel. I appreciate it like I appreciate nothing else. You both have been like heroes to me and the story, too. Don't ever forget that things would have been bleak had you two never existed.**

* * *

Rachel approached the place by foot, a punch jug snug in her arms. It was the end of June, and this was something she usually tried to do in May.

Caterpillars. There were always caterpillars on a certain tree by the back of the studio at a certain time of year. Cute little fuzzy things, blue with black and gold dots along their bodies. Naive little bugs. But both years she'd been here, she'd always forgotten to swipe a few up and raise them for herself, away from scary nature and its bird-eat-bug inevitabilities.

There was a single car in the lot. Shiny and red... belonging to absolutely nobody that Rachel knew. How symbolic, the way things had gone. She was here, on the side of the road, fighting to get her breath back after an on-foot journey.

And when she'd had free reign before... she'd be a tresspasser if she ever attempted to enter the premises again.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called her name. Rather... questioned it, as if he couldn't have expected she'd be here.

Looking ahead on the rocks of the road's shoulder... she saw Toxic standing there, looking at her.

"Toxic?" Rachel questioned right back, still breathing heavily. "Hey! I seriously thought I'd never see you again!"

Her smile was wide, she knew, as she approached him. Toxic's smile had the same quality.

"It's as you said, right?" he told her. "This isn't goodbye."

He looked at the studio.

"I had to come back," he sighed.

His brow furrowed. Pretty badly.

"To make sure the bums that took our place weren't thinking about knocking it down."

"I've heard rumors from Elektor," said Rachel. "He thinks they're either making it into an office or preparing to shoot a show of their own."

"Seriously?" Toxic chuckled a bit. "Those guys? They all seemed to be old and wearing suits and whatnot."

"Possible they could be doing a radio show about government," Rachel sighed. "Because we never have enough about how Mobius is a heap of rotting corpses."

Toxic chuckled.

"...Speaking of rumors," he said. "There's one that's going around about me, and I'd like my name to be cleared with you, at the very least."

"Shoot," said Rachel.

"People think I'm in love with Blaze," said Toxic.

"Huh... really?" asked Rachel. "I never heard anything."

"And in reality, I'm getting _over_ her," Toxic continued. "Thankfully... And I've met someone better. Much, much better. Her name's Serene."

After mentioning the name, he shut his eyelids about a third of the way, looked up at the sky, smiled, and didn't even swing a punch at the redness on his face. This was genuine. He'd fallen, and it was the sort of thing that warmed Rachel's little ol' heart.

"That's wonderful," she smiled. "...But hey, if you ever need a tip about getting over people, you know where to find me. I've had to do that with two different people over the course of the show, and it is trucking _painful_."

"...You know..." Toxic said, looking back at Rachel. "Void goes on a lot about you and Espio."

Rachel was jolted.

"He... does?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Toxic nodded. "You guys teamed up in the past so that he could get Nicole and you could get Espio."

"And Nicole's the thing," said Rachel. "Now that she and Void are done, she's back open. Just look at her and Espio. He's closer with her than I think he's ever been with anyone."

"Even you?" asked Toxic, with the cheekiest smirk.

"Even me," Rachel answered without a thought.

Toxic looked at his watch, cringed a bit, and started walking away.

"Well, I gotta get going," Toxic sighed. "...But... I-I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you."

He walked backward to wave before turning around and going on his way.

Did he know something?

...Were the caterpillars here anymore?

* * *

 **So about the OC and canon thing... This is going to take a couple more steps before it can really happen. And I'm shaking it up.**

 **Not only can we talk about OCs with canon characters... How about other OCs, too?**

 **It's all up to you guys. I'm putting in my vote and including Rachel into the fray. So that makes the official lineup for this shindig as follows: Void, Toxic, and Rachel. What characters, canon or OC, would you like to ship with these three for sake of discussion?**


	96. Half of the End

**Props: Aldamon600 is responsible for all the goodness here, with their suggestions (and their response in general, really).**

 **Reasons for lateness: At first, it was because I saw any response come to a screeching halt. You know how this works; I'm not necessarily lying to you when I say I need your input. I'd planned to write the Friday after I got the review, but I got so caught up in other things (like my Honors College orientation). So here's another chapter of the epilogue.**

* * *

And just in those months after the show had ended, Rachel's house became more of a prison than anything. If you give prisons wifi access, decent food, and the remote ability to step outside.

Her mother had gotten a part-time job. Rachel herself couldn't drive but once a week. Being home alone so often used to be the dream, but it became more like being trapped in a lab of some sort for an experiment on isolation. Her sickness was manageable this year... but she was still more alone this year than the last.

That is, whenever her friend Harry the Cat wasn't over providing her pleasant company. As it would turn out, the two of them were going to the same university in the fall, and with the revelation came a tidal wave of bonding. When Rachel thought about it, she couldn't really imagine what sort of mental (and physical) state she'd be in if he'd never existed.

Abandoned at 18, Harry quite knew the ins and out of being alone. Didn't mean he liked them; he'd been fighting unnecessary anxiety that seemed to most often be triggered by thunderstorms.

That one time he was stumbling through a suburban area at night, absolutely drenched, never faded with time from his memory. He both shook to the core and waited patiently at the thought of being struck by lightning. All this, and everything, even the gravel under his feet, was pitch black and covered in darkness. This trauma, Harry knew, was the root of his brain's turning against him from time to time.

Everything from then on, even when he did manage to find a small place to use as a shelter, he'd tell you, was all an abyss of shadows and sadness. All right up to the Groundhog's Day that Rachel walked up to him and spoke to him for the first time. He hadn't told her that quite yet. There'd come a time, he hoped.

Here he was, at 20, with someone he could guard and be guarded by... and he'd never been happier in his life. Couldn't quite tell her that yet, either, but it'd come up someday. He knew he meant a bit more than the usual to her, but he feared it would absolutely pale in comparison to just how much she saved his life. So he kept quiet for the time being.

They were in her room and, ironically enough, staring at laptops. Less than 10 feet from each other... and playing a game on Steam together. They both knew there was nothing to calm the nerves quite like cursing and praising luck, cursing in general, praising in general, and playing a board game to the death with the friend they held dear.

"How did that work?" Rachel laughed, after defeating Harry in a virtual battle. Her character's attack stat was one of the worst in the game, which is why she asked.

"How DID that work?" Harry asked back, a tad irritated. "That's quite bullcrap."

"I know," said Rachel, continuing to laugh.

From somewhere outside came a thud. Like... a blade on a hollow block of wood? Rachel and Harry both fell silent and waited for any more mysterious audible clues.

When nothing came about, and Rachel was sure Harry had heard it as well, she said "I wanna go out and see what that was. Should I?"

Giving her a worried look, Harry replied "I-I'll go with you. I'm... curious, too."

He was scared sick that she'd get hurt if that was the sound of an attacker... but what's the difference?

They shut their laptops and headed down toward the front door. The sound had come from the front yard, which was shaded by the leaves of at least six different tall trees. It wasn't hunting season, was it? Someone hunting with an arrow could have botched their shot.

Harry opened the front door and stepped out, Rachel following close behind. He hoped she wouldn't notice, but he was half sticking his arm out in front of her to act as a shield.

She very much did notice this, and noted it in her mind.

These were such brief mental matters that were quickly shoved to the wayside when they noticed a dark metal kunai sticking out of the tree closest to the house. A piece of parchment appeared to be attached to it, with a purple string of yarn.

"What the..." Harry questioned, stepping up to it and inspecting it as closely as he could. "Where could this have come from? Are there ninjas around here?"

Yes, Harry, there are ninjas. They're usually not around here, though. Rachel had the idea of only one person this could have come from. Even if she hadn't, the hue the yarn wore would have made the connection click right away, and it made Rachel smile considering the possibility that this was intended.

She immediately walked up to the kunai, put her hand on it, and took a few gos to yank it out of the tree. She looked at said tree and saw that the bark had barely been dented. There wasn't much but a small slot, where the kunai had went into the tree with its tip.

She first flipped the kunai around a couple of times in her hand and took every nook and cranny into consideration. Not much of a mystery there, but it wasn't often she got to hold such a valued and dangerous weapon in her hands.

It took Harry's saying "Open the note! The suspense is killing me!" for her to be snapped out of the wonder she was feeling.

So she took to the yarn and untied it. Only one knot? The kunai would have to have flown pretty swiftly through the air to make such a secure impact on the tree.

This ninja was just too good. But Rachel had known that for at least a good year.

With Harry peeking over her shoulder, Rachel opened the note.

Sure as gold, she'd seen this handwriting before. When the man it belonged to had given her a birthday gift.

"More often than not, I meditate nightly at the park downtown," said the note. "I will often try to arrive there at around 7pm, when the air is mellow and the sun starts to give way, and I will stay until around 10pm. I understand you are soon to leave this part of Mobius in order to pursue higher education. Before you do, I would appreciate your meeting me at the park one of these nights. There's a bit of a weight I must get off my chest before the chance arises that I may rarely see you again."

"I know who this is from," Rachel told Harry. "There's no mistake that he's involved. I should probably take him up on his request."

She looked at Harry, not expecting the look of worry she was getting.

"I-It'll be okay," she smiled. "I know him well. He's a great person with upstanding morals. I.. may be dead if it wasn't for him, actually. His name's Espio the Chameleon, and I've known him for... I want to say around a year now."

Ah, Espio. What a classy method to invite someone to a meeting in the park.

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Someone attacked me, and he brought me to the hospital," Rachel explained. "...It's a bit of a painful memory... ironically enough, since that's when I met him as a person."

She let out a bit of a laugh.

Harry so badly wanted to ask if he could tag along... but he wasn't going to come off as a possessive guy. Not toward Rachel. He wanted to be possessive due to his gratitude, but he refused.

It _bit,_ though. All of this bit at him.

Rachel, meanwhile, didn't have the faintest idea. A private, scheduled meeting normally led to love confessions in the worlds she lived in and looked in on... but she couldn't be so sure all of a sudden. Espio was a ninja. Maybe he merely wished to wish her luck and impart some wisdom (maybe some self-defense tactics, too) on her before she moved three hours away.

He'd succeeded to leave an air of mystery in the draft of a kunai.

...Well, one of three things was certain: Someone forced Espio to write the note, someone forged Espio's handwriting, or Espio had a _serious_ level of trust in her. To reveal his routine like this...

Something felt off. Even if nothing was off, something felt off.

"Call me paranoid..." sighed Rachel. "But... would you... maybe... come with me when I go? Not right by my side, but in the background? I'm asking too much, aren't I?"

"Not at all," Harry answered, putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I can lurk in the background and make sure you're alright. I've gotten pretty good with my stealth!" He gave a confident smile and gave a thumbs up.

Harry did work as a secret agent, didn't he?

"Thank you," said Rachel, looking up at him. "I am in your debt."

"Nope, I'll be paying mine off for the rest of my life," Harry said, shaking his head.

He wanted to say "eternity", but he couldn't tell her that yet. Maybe in due time.

* * *

 **Author's note: Thank you again, Aldamon600, for providing your input. Now, then... Reaver17 and ShadsyStarsWish, specifically... there is one more step to the little gig I'm putting together. We've got a pool of OCs and canon characters shipped together... and I need your characters' reactions to them each. I understand, it's a bit of a long list, so feel free to make your responses as short or as long as you'd like. Our topics for the "finale" of Thoughts of the Unknown are as follows.**

 **Toxic x Amy**

 **Void x Blaze**

 **Rachel x Shadow**

 **Void x Amy**

 **Toxic x Rouge (I believe that's what you were going for, Aldamon)**

 **Rachel x Sonic**

 **Void x Bunnie (kinda grasped for that one, to be honest)**

 **Toxic x Blaze (I'm curious 'bout the rumor that was apparently going around)**

 **and Rachel x Espio.**

 **Even if your OC is not involved in this fun little discussion, you can always feel free to leave your opinions for the reading pleasures of myself and others! It'll be my pleasure, at least!**

 **Author's second note: And yes, I'll try to get the next chapter up on Friday, responses or not. It just feels right.**

 **Author's third note: The Steam game referenced in this chapter is called 100% Orange Juice, and it is a CHARM. The characters do have backstories from other games, but it really is not required learning. I highly recommend it, and this is from a really picky human! And if you ever run into someone named Ruledono, that's me!**

 **Author's fourth note: Harry is not based off of anyone real. I literally made him up. Sue me.**


	97. 75 of the End

**Props to you all for putting up with me! I realized shortly after I posted that update that I had acted rather cranky with my swearing and everything. I mean, I'm not willing to give up swearing or anything, but… I didn't mean to be off-putting with my anger, that's what I'm saying. I was SALTY. I've got a different word processor that I think will be decent to me, so let's try this again with three-quarters of the end!**

 **Props to Oceanic Coral, too. And I hope it shows. I tried my best! This is for you! Scenery for this is actually based on something I did a couple of days ago, so there's a fun factoid for ya.**

 **Reason for extra lateness: Got caught up in back-to-school shopping. Yeesh, I go to college in less than two weeks. I'm a big girl now…**

* * *

There were people on that stone pier by the red lighthouse. Whitecaps aplenty, the water crashed against the side in fabulous shows of spray. The pier was underwater 60% of the time, so any feet that stood upon it were swimming. There were people taking advantage of this. A few shirtless guys holding energy drinks and splashing water at each other as it washed over the cement, a few young girls in gym shorts capturing the intensity of the waves for Snapchat… a certain hedgehog of memory… a trio of couples holding each other close and facing the world as three teams toward the same cause…

Why was _that_ what bothered Shadow so much?

The young couples, he couldn't have given two craps about. It was the elder couple. The taller man with his arm around the frail woman, with her skirt fluttering just above the soaking ground. She was leaning into her significant other a bit, not afraid to accept help in getting warmth against the chill the wind was creating.

Why did _that_ bite so hard? Was it the outfit? Was it how innocent she was, yet so willing to come out there to the end?

The woman spelled Maria. Er… No no no, he couldn't keep dwelling on his past! Leave it all behind, right? He'd promised! That was the Shadow of the past, who no longer exists! He's anew!

…That was bullshit, and he refused to accept it.

...There were just too many people. That's why Shadow was on the _other_ pier, with the white lighthouse. Sitting on the end, staring at the curtain of rain and the meeting of sailboats in the far distance against what was left of the orange sky. The water was warm against his lower half at this point.

Sailboats sailing along in the distance… carefree, like his distant past… so out of reach, even he couldn't skate across the water and capture it again. He'd drown first, even being the Ultimate Lifeform.

And it was lonely.

But… not quite as lonely as he'd expected.

He looked over at the red lighthouse. Among the small crowd was a certain adventurous soul he remembered. She was standing on the lighthouse's base, using one hand to hold onto a handle and putting the other against her forehead. There was a sure smile on her face as she stared out at the waves.

His heart rate picked up a bit. Out of all places… she was here?

Was that really Mercury?

He realized what "low" he was sinking to and sulked, eyes back out to the sailboats. So? She was here, too. A lot of people were.

...Why did that _intrigue_ him so much?

* * *

Yup, these were whitecaps, Mercury had to agree. The clouds had completely overshadowed the sunset, and it was pretty clear there was rain falling in the distance. Young teenagers were screaming at the prospect of water, some dudes were running around, and couples young and old were getting all lovey-dovey.

All in all, still a beautiful evening.

Perhaps the biggest wave of the night crashed against the left side, and if this was a video game, a total party kill would have taken place. It blanketed everyone that was there in a clean (maybe) sheet of water.

The cool thing, though? Most everyone was laughing, even the elderly couple in the nice clothes. That was cool.

Mercury found her hair dripping with water and shook her head to get most of it off. What she happened to see when her head went to the right, though, made her face as hot as a hairdryer.

 _Shadow?!_

She surveyed him the best she could. He sat, cross-legged, on the end of the other pier. Staring out at the lake with that familiar frown and that piercing glare. He seemed to be cursing something in his mind… but what, exactly?

Well… summer was about to end. Things were changing. She could ultimately end up never see him again. She was going to find out.

* * *

"H-Hey, Shads," Mercury said to him a few moments later, when she had made her way over there and was standing behind him.

Shadow immediately looked behind him to confirm his fear (hope) that yes, it was Mercury. Mercury was speaking to him again, and… she called him _Shads?!_

"Don't call me that," he grunted, looking back out at the water.

"What's wrong?" asked Mercury, stepping up onto the white lighthouse's base.

Shadow was so ready to deny it was any of her business and encourage her to go dig a hole somewhere.

But… he also wasn't. Really, to most anyone else, he would have even worse sentiments.

But he didn't want to do that to Mercury. Whyever the hell not, he couldn't even begin to piece together, and it pissed him off.

But he was stuck. He just couldn't tell her to go away. So what _was_ he gonna do? He looked back at her again.

The same face that had smiled up at his that Valentine's night was not even remotely confused, but concerned. Almost… ready to see him like this.

The same arms that had held onto him looked so tempting. Tempting him to use them as a blanket. Even he had to admit, there was a strange chill in the air.

..."I'll see you again. I swear it." He said that to her more than a year ago, and they'd seen each other for more than one single 'again.' Yet somehow, it felt like an unfulfilled promise.

That face. This soul. Deserved an explanation. She, somehow, was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

"Pondering," he went with. "Events. Whatnots. What's wrong with that?"

"How sad you look doing it," said Mercury, stepping away from the lighthouse and sitting down beside him.

Another wave pooled over the edge of the pier and soaked their legs.

"I-I don't need your pity," Shadow tried to assert, with beet-red cheeks.

"Don't you?" asked Mercury. "Normally, people that withdraw from everyone else aren't that happy doing so."

"Well, consider me an exception," Shadow said, in what Mercury knew to be a blatant lie.

She knew it because he was looking at her again. Sizing her and her beautiful eyes up again.

So adventurous… yet so soft…

Maria…

Could Mercury have been some sort of reincarnation?!

"S-Shadow?" Mercury asked, feeling her own heart start to speed up. "Did I get some pepperoni on my face or something?"

"N… No," Shadow said, shaking his head.

"Have you HAD the pizza down here?" asked Mercury. "Pizza… pizza and burgers… are always better on the beach."

To hell with it.

"More food?" was what came out of his mouth.

He grunted, looked away, and closed his eyes, trying to undo that.

"...W-What?" was all that Mercury replied with.

"You just ate, but would you like to eat some more?" Shadow forced out.

"...I only had the money for one slice," Mercury pouted. "If you've got the cash for more grub, I'd-"

"I do," Shadow nodded, in relief that she hadn't been taken aback by his statement.

"Then yeah, let's go!" Mercury squealed as she immediately sprang up from her spot.

It'd be a private investigation… but he had to open up the case as to just why he liked this girl so damn much.

* * *

 **I was really in a mojo for the first part of this, but… quite honestly, it is a little nerve-wracking writing for characters that other people have created because it seems like only they know what that character would do or feel in a certain situation. I hope I did alright, though! Thank you, Oceanic Coral, for staying in contact! And thank you again, everyone, for putting up with me and my bullcrap! Next week should be the final chapter of regularly-updated Thoughts of the Unknown, and will be what I was TRYING to write last week. I'll reiterate the state of things then! Thank you all for existing!**


	98. The End

**Props: To whoever's laying eyes on the page. For everything. For being active inspiration, for keeping such a wacky project alive for two years… for being living proof that I do have support. I could never thank you, fellow human (right?), enough.**

 **I'm real sorry to do this… but for a few reasons, I'm going to be removing Rachel x Sonic, Toxic x Rouge, and Void x Bunnie from the conversation. I don't want to make this too much like the version that was literally wiped away from me (I'm still full of sodium from that, I guess), and the way I have planned would make the conversation flow better. I hope this still works for you all!**

 **Reason for extra lateness: Got caught up in other business. More specifically, I walked three miles and suffered** _ **greatly**_ **for it, so I had to focus on resting up. I also had to school shop and embarrass myself via a singing contest, so yay!**

* * *

"Literally Friday, eh?" Void sighed, taking another sip of this sewage regular Mobians called coffee. He immediately cringed from how bitter it wasn't.

"Three hours away?" asked Toxic, withdrawing another fry from its bag.

"Literally Friday," Rachel nodded. "I move three hours away from here and on to my new life. And… I suddenly dunno if I want to leave. But hey, it'll all be alright, right?"

She felt not a thing walking into the cafe, but… it was as if it all decided to set in now. She'd be in a place anew… away from these two, and everyone else she was fond of.

Almost tear-jerking. But she'd be damned if she was going to break down here. It was bad enough she'd failed to keep herself together in front of Silver once, and her standing with him had… changed, in short. Heck, Void had been there as well, hadn't he? So… it wouldn't be _all_ that new…

They were sitting in the Nahrung Cafe for an after-dinner chat of sorts. Well, more accurately, Void asked Toxic and Rachel to dinner, but they'd already eaten, so Void settled for it being an after-dinner snack. Well, it could have been Rachel's dessert, for she was munching on a delicious-looking pastry. And he had to drink this crap…

And except for those working, they were the only ones there.

"Did you get the reaction you were looking for?" Void groaned.

"That, I did," Rachel shrugged. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

"Horrible," said Void. "Feed it to the plants."

Yet he took one more sip. And cringed one more time. Toxic let out a snicker.

"So I've been thinking..." said Rachel.

"That ain't good," Void laughed.

"Neither is that coffee, apparently," Rachel quipped. "It's so bad that it'd look better on your face than it tastes in your mouth."

And cue Toxic nearly choking on his fry.

"Yup," said Void. "You tried to insult me, but it's actually the truth. So what were ya thinking?"

"So someone sent in an idea for something once, and although the show might be over, I still wanna do it," said Rachel. "I figured it'd be better as casual conversation than an actual episode, anyway."

Toxic and Void laid curious eyes on her.

"...And this is going to sound crazy..." she said. "...Maybe… pair _ourselves_ with some of the other characters for sake of discussion?"

"Are you being serious?" Void replied. "...Dude, sign me up!"

"Alrighty, I'll take you up on that," Toxic smiled. "Who'd you have in mind?"

"To start..." Rachel smirked. "How would you guys react to being shipped with Amy?"

Toxic's and Void's eyes immediately went wide as rings, and they moved their eyes to take one glance at each other.

"No… No, no…" Void shook. "No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no..."

"...I'll just… go with a no on this," said Toxic. "For the both of us. She is way too loud and hyper for my tastes! Plus, I don't think she'll be too thrilled with my crazy lifestyle. I… could be wrong, though, seeing as she tags along with Sonic a lot… But otherwise, I say no way."

"I mean..." said Void. "Toxic is kind of a quiet guy and keeps to himself, while Amy is… well, Amy. She's loud, hyperactive, obsessive, and… honestly, she freaks me out a bit. I don't THINK they'd be good for each other, but hey, maybe he's into girls who can do the talking for him. Or maybe he likes the crazy ones. No problem with that."

Toxic gawked in Void's direction.

"Me?!" he reacted. "No way. No how."

"Well, there it is, from the horses' mouths," Rachel shrugged. "It's clear neither of you like her. Chemistry-wise… that's not there, either. Nothing's striking me."

Toxic immediately turned to Rachel and put his hands on the table.

"So who's next?" he asked.

"…Funny you should ask, Mr. Toxic," Rachel answered. "The next one will actually answer a question I have about a rumor that apparently went around about you. I want to know what made people think to spread it. Toxic… Void… How about you guys and Blaze?"

"Ah, that's better," Void answered, clearly relieved. "No complaints over here. I am TOTALLY okay with this. She's kind, polite, dutiful… she has a strong set of morals she'll stick to no matter what, she's got a calm demeanor, she's cute, and she's a PRINCESS. Talk about a relationship bonus! She's also bluntly honest, which I like… she does have a bit of a temper, but honestly, mine's probably worse… but she might not be into the whole scaly four-eyed-alien-from-space-type deal. That's usually an issue."

Poor guy.

"That, and she's from another Zone," Void concluded. "Sooooo..."

He looked to Toxic.

"As for Toxic buddy over here," he said. "She'd be a good match for pretty much anyone who wasn't put off by her occasional gruffness, but I suppose that all depends on whether or not she takes a liking to him. Good show if you manage it, dude, but again, there is that whole other dimension part."

"Hm… I had a feeling this would pop up..." Toxic smirked. "Well, first off, because I am with someone else now, I'll say no. But, pretending Serene is out of the picture, I guess this 'could've' been possible. Blaze is, well, Blaze. A loyal, brave, polite, pyrokinetic princess from another dimension. I am, myself, impulsive, mysterious, and so on with all of that. Though, I guess I could've gotten on her nerves every now and then, and vice-versa…" He sighed. "I'll go with… This could've been a maybe, or something that leans towards yes."

Short pause.

"As for Void, sure, why not?" he smiled with a shrug. "I don't have anything against the idea."

"So quite the shift," Rachel remarked. "In my eyes, too. Although I feel like Toxic may be a better match for her. You're… no offense, Void… calmer. I think she appreciates someone calm. You also give off this mysterious aura that reminds me of Silver, and you know how the two of them are doing."

"Yeah, I think that if anyone's doing good with Blaze, it's that guy," said Void.

And thank whatever was up there that Rachel had escaped her own feelings in time.

Toxic looked at his watch.

"I should probably get going soon," he sighed.

Rachel replied "Yeah, me too," looking out the window… which faced the park.

"Well, hold on just a damn moment, princess… and Toxic," said Void, before Toxic could get a chance to stand up.

"W-What is it?" asked Toxic, sitting back down.

"I think it's our turn to flip the sides," said Void. He then looked right at Rachel. "Who do we ship with her?"

Rachel had expected this, thrown out the idea that it was going to happen, realized that the idea would never completely fade, and so expected it completely.

"Sorta thought you'd do that," she smiled. "Well… lay it on me."

"Your first other half..." he smiled, teeth and all. "You and Shadow."

"Why am I not surprised?" Rachel chuckled.

"...Wait, why aren't you?" asked Void.

"I get compared to the guy all the time," Rachel answered. "I honestly think we're more like brother and sister. I don't really… feel anything for him, and that's that. And too many people are into him. I try to stay away from the men that are being chased by swamps of girls. I mean..." She lowered her voice a bit. "I'll be honest, I did have a thing for him for a bit. When I was, like, 14. There. Ya get the reaction you were looking for, buddy?"

"No..." Void sulked.

"I mean, this sounds pretty good to me," said Toxic. "Ya know, Rachel might actually turn Shadow into less of a gloomy 'hog if this happened..."

"Why not?" asked Void. "They're both stoic badasses, level headed, rational, and prone to extreme bouts of moodiness and social awkwardness! Rachel is the friendly and gentle soul to wear away his inhibitions about emotional contact. It's a match made in heaven!"

He leaned closer to Rachel.

"But seriously, though," he whispered. "He's got nothing going on. Just say the word and I can totally set that up."

Should she bring up the whole thing about the other half of people thinking she and Shadow were related? Nah, not now.

"Every girl's dream," said Rachel. "I don't think I really have the power to _change_ anyone."

Void couldn't be so sure.

"...So I've got nothing to say to this, but maybe you do, Void," Toxic said. "And you, Rachel. How about you and Espio?"

Void and Rachel both raised their eyebrows, Rachel even blushing a slight bit.

"Ummmm..." Void replied, with a laugh brimming in his vocal cords. "No comment."

They both looked at her.

"...I… urgh..." she sighed. "I hate to brag, but… maybe?"

She was a stuttering mess.

"He's… a real guardian," she said. "I'm… well… He's probably real wise. That's always nice. We're both sorta solitary. Our personalities match up okay, except I'm a bit more lively and he's a bit more… broody. Is that a word? Like… Like a smarter, more reasonable Shadow. Get me?"

Void snickered once. Then, silence.

Maybe she should go update that horrid abstract with some new info. He was probably out there at the park, waiting for her.

Fortunately, Toxic took the first step.

"Yeah, I really gotta go," he said, managing to stand up this time.

"And me, too," said Rachel. "This doesn't have to be the last time we see each other before I move. Just give me a call!"

"Will do," Void nodded. "See ya guys."

"Bye!" Toxic and Rachel said simultaneously.

They both walked out the door, but Rachel barely saw Toxic before he sped off for somewhere. Mystery. 'Twas the Toxic creed.

...Mystery… 'Twas what the park held, too. Harry couldn't be here, but… she'd be okay. There was still light outside.

She sought the first moment of the street being clear and dashed across it, making it without a scratch to the other side.

Almost immediately, she spotted Espio's purple form underneath a tree. He sat, eyes closed, legs crossed… gone from this harsh reality… exactly as she'd pictured him.

What was this in her heart? Unwelcome, that's what it was.

So… to make him angry by disturbing his training, or make him angry by waiting too long? Please him by potentially doing what he wanted, or please him by being a decent Mobian being and waiting for him to return? Ah, decisions, decisions… all the wrong ones.

All she could do was walk up to him. She decided to stop once she was twenty feet away or so. Not a twitch.

Geez, how does one do that?

He looked so majestic that her heart leapt again. Eyes closed… Something that was neither a frown, smile, nor smirk… His back scales fluttered a bit over the breeze… He was so withdrawn, yet so alive, his every breath seeming to breathe life into him. That was something to be admired.

Her mind clicked with the motion, and she let out a minute groan. No no NO, heart, don't do this!

The mind has the power to control the heartbeat, each one being crucial to the life of the being… but sometimes, they just could not agree on other matters.

She decided to lower herself down onto the ground and sprawl out so that she was looking up at the leaves. The sun hadn't quite set yet, so she could see the leaves as they swayed in the breeze. Huh… Are you serious? One of them was already orange around the edges! This wasn't supposed to happen until September!

Ah… nothing to be done for it.

The breeze suddenly blew in just the right fashion. An embracing fashion, one which blew over her body just right. The coolness relieved her, so much so that she closed her eyes. A bit more naivety, and she'd say she got what Espio was going for.

His mind was probably empty, though. Hers had a few thoughts playing out.

Friday… that was it. She'd no longer be here. Where she'd taken her first leaps and bounds. Her life had _been_ these trees, these bridges, every chip that fell from the buildings… it all. Friday, her life was getting a refresh. Sure, her history would be there for her… but not always. From there, everything would feel like a ticking timer. At first, she'd been so excited to get away… but she feared that once she got there, to the university she'd chosen, she'd regret everything. She'd come home for the holidays and whatnot, and never want to leave again.

...But then, she smiled. She was blessed with a guarantee. Well, at least for the first year. When she felt alone… lost… desperate… she already had a friend she could lean on.

"I'm afraid that's not quite how you do it."

She opened her eyes. She was still here, on the park grass. Only this time, Espio was staring down at her with curious eyes, his hands on his hips.

"I-I was just thinking," she sighed, sitting up. "That's all."

"You are about to encounter a great amount of stress, I can imagine," Espio said, sitting back down beside her.

"It's really setting in," Rachel sighed again. "I've been ready, and I'm suddenly not ready. No… No, I'm still ready. But yeah, it definitely will be a huge deal."

Espio nodded, then proceeded to stare at the ground.

"...Dangit, I forgot to bring your kunai back," said Rachel.

"I intend for you to keep it," Espio told her… his voice a bit more hushed than before. "It will come in handy. Don't worry too much, it wasn't one I treasured too heavily. Besides..."

He looked up at her.

"Would it not be an amateur move to leave a weapon behind otherwise?"

"Not with bombs," Rachel realized aloud. "Don't really want to keep one of those once you've activated it."

"You're… correct there," said Espio, simply looking down at the ground again.

"Thank you, though," Rachel smiled.

Face, why are you getting warm? It's not even that cold out here.

"But… i-in all… seriousness..." she said. "I've been real curious as to what you want to tell me."

"Ah, yes," said Espio. "...What I'd like to tell you..."

Then, strange things happened. He seemed to be opening his mouth, but only for a grunt to come out and for him to close it again. Struggling for words? At one point, it seemed to make him a little angry.

And… his face looked a little cozy, too. Warm, that is.

"Some… self-defense tips?" asked Rachel. "Wisdom?" These couldn't have been the answers for him to be acting like this, but she figured she'd try to lead him toward whatever it was.

"No and… well..." said Espio, finally sighing and looking up at her again. "I… actually must ask something of you."

"Hm?" Rachel hummed.

She realized fully that this may be the last time she'd ever get to see those golden eyes so head-on. May as well indulge, whilst waiting for Espio to ease up to his intentions.

"...I could perfectly assume, but I want to make perfect sure before I take such a chance..." he said. "...This feeling you threw around with your show… the one you craft words around… called love. I need to know if that's really what I'm going through."

Ah, making sure it's the real deal before going to confess it to someone else, right? Oh, what other gentleman would have thought of that? And who deserved it? Vector, maybe, like the fanfics seemed to predict? Nicole, like the universe seemed to predict? Well, whoever it was, it melted Rachel's little ol' heart, and made her smile.

"Okay," she nodded. "...You're talking about in relation to another person, correct?"

"Yes," Espio nodded.

"Everyone feels love differently, to start," she warned him. "Some don't feel it as strongly, and some love _hard_. I'm in the latter group, myself."

"So," said Espio. "You'd be more likely to... shower your lover with affection all the time?"

"Yeah, I gotta be honest," Rachel chuckled. "So… tell me what's going on."

"A fluttering of the heart," Espio began. "I connect it with whenever y- er, this person does something wholesome to the soul."

Wait… what was that?

"I never thought a smile or a laugh would be all it would take for me to feel… excited. Happy," he went on. "And when this person hurts, I get pain in that exact same area of my chest."

Espio was teaching _Rachel_ something tonight. Love… Really a sensitivity and mirroring of the other person's emotions, isn't it?

You protect someone and comfort them because you want them to be happy so that you can be happy. When one puts it like that, love sounds like a selfish act. Damn… Espio was telling it like it was without even realizing it.

"You're… spot on," Rachel marveled.

"A-Am I?" asked Espio.

"That, you are," Rachel nodded. "It's the inverse with hatred. You smile at the others frown, and their smile makes you sick."

Espio got a few laughs from this.

"...Yes..." he smiled, looking at the ground, then back up at Rachel. "Being around this person in general brings me peace. I have an increased desire to engage in physical contact with them."

Rachel snickered. Okay, that was entertaining.

"What are we talking about here?" she asked, with a smile and a raise of a brow. "Because if you're only thinking about a certain kind, you may be looking at a different answer."

Fortunately, Espio immediately seemed to get what she was throwing.

"Not sexual alone," he stated.

"Well, good," Rachel nodded. "If that was the case, you'd be looking at lust."

"That much, I do know," he sighed. "I also know that's not what I feel."

A second of awkward silence. Where he just kinda… _stared_ at her.

"Embracing..." he went on. "...Kissing… Holding their hand… Those actions. Whatever will make them smile."

This was just too adorable now. Rachel's heart was a puddle on her ribs.

"You are… just talking too cute," is what came out of her mouth. "I-I mean..."

Now she was the red face.

"What you're saying is just too adorable," she recovered.

"...So..." said Espio. "Is what I'm feeling… love?"

"Only you know how strongly you're feeling it," said Rachel. "I would say yes, you are anywhere from the first inklings of it to completely submerged in it."

"That is a relief to hear," Espio smiled. "I would not want to give my… _love_ interest the wrong impression."

He smiled with his teeth for a moment after he said that, almost as if he couldn't believe the words were even in his mouth.

"And that's admirable," said Rachel. "...You know, I never thought I'd hear you say you have a love interest."

"Well, I do," Espio insisted. "You know that now."

"I'll keep it private," Rachel promised. "Millions would have a field day if they found this out."

"Thank you," Espio smiled.

"And… why you came to me with it, I'll never know," Rachel laughed. "I'm nothing special."

"...Hmm..." Espio hummed. "Two lies, right in a row. I'm disappointed."

Rachel somehow knew he was jesting.

"I can only tell the truth and hope you believe me," Rachel shrugged, way too sincerely.

"But you lie," Espio smirked. "...Either that, or you're… oblivious?"

"Hm?" Rachel wondered aloud.

And like that, he was struggling for words again.

"...Alright..." Rachel said. "So… out of courtesy, I won't demand the answer of who this person is, but… I gather you were intending to let this person know of your feelings?"

"Yes, that is so," Espio nodded.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, then thought to himself… then smiled directly at Rachel.

"How would you like me to deliver the message?" he asked.

Wait… wait wait wait…

Nope. Couldn't be possible. She couldn't quit playing dumb yet. Only way to prevent complete letdown. How to let this… person… know he loved them?

"Take them someplace nice, first off," she began. "It's going to be a memory that'll last a lifetime. Even if things end terribly, you may as well make it as positive an experience as possible. It doesn't have to be someplace expensive and fancy. In fact, I'd advise against that, personally. Someplace free, preferably."

"Like this park?" asked Espio.

ALARM.

No, shut it, alarm! Shut it!

"...Like this park, yeah!" Rachel said. "Heck, I'd like it here! It's special!"

Espio nodded. Rachel could have sworn his smile got _slightly_ wider.

"Someplace nice…" said Rachel. "Wait for the right moment. When you both are happy. Even better, when you both are happy with each other."

Rachel first pictured Vector as this "person," then realized that Nicole was the more fitting role. Nicole… that's right… Rachel had no trouble ignoring her heart's alarms now.

"Alright," Espio said, with another nod.

"Then, ask them if you can tell them something huge," said Rachel. "Advise them that what you are about to say could make things different. To be honest, you really gotta pay attention to their answer. Worst case scenario, they say nothing, and in this case, you may want to postpone. Best case scenario, they assure you that everything will be fine."

Espio nodded again.

He's… seriously been listening to all of this? Hasn't she just been rambling?

"Then, when you're sure they're ready, be upfront and come out with it," said Rachel. "Tell them you love them, and all the good things they make you feel. If you do it right, even if they don't have the same sentiments, they'll at least be flattered by the importance they didn't realize they had."

"...Hmm..." Espio pondered, turning to the bridge again, closing his eyes, and crossing his arms. "You're on the side of safety, it seems."

"Love is powerful… both for good and for bad," Rachel answered. "Executed poorly, it has the ability to break someone's world into microscopic pieces."

Espio looked at her again, a bit taken aback by this new statement.

"I believe many have witnessed its detrimental effects," he said. "I… apologize, it's just that… I didn't quite expect you to say that."

"People say it'll only ever hurt, and they're not doing it right," said Rachel. "Or they are, but they are having bad luck. I've been asked before why I still chase it if it causes me so much pain, and… I'm simply holding out because I know the answer's out there somewhere. I'm willing to take the bad stuff in exchange for the best experience ever. Also kinda helps that it's been my life mission, and I hate quitting."

She realized all was silent and looked over to see that Espio was… H-He was doing that again! _Staring!_ What… was this?

"...Right..." he smiled. "I-I… think I'm ready to make my feelings clear."

"You think?" asked Rachel. "Love confessions are too huge to risk your heart not being into it."

"Is love not something the heart does, though?" asked Espio. "If this is so, would that not mean my heart has been in it from the very start?"

"...Smart man," Rachel nodded. "You sound pretty ready."

"I am," Espio nodded.

"And I wish you luck in doing so," said Rachel.

"I… appreciate it," said Espio.

...Hmm… He had a whole bag of weapons sitting nearby, and he wasn't moving the slightest inch to go pick it up...

"I apologize if I interrupted your training," said Rachel.

"Recall, I invited you to show up here with me," Espio reminded her. "I've been waiting."

"For that, I apologize," said Rachel.

"And I… don't want you to leave yet."

...Had Espio seriously just told her that? Since when did anyone tell her that anymore?

She looked back at him. It had seemed like her instruction had given him confidence… Confidence that he lost all of in one fleeting moment, for he was glaring at the ground again.

"I-Is there… something else?" asked Rachel.

"There is, yes," Espio nodded.

He looked around… to make sure all the pieces were in place.

"...But before I do, I feel I must… warn you…"

He looked up at her, his face redder than ever now.

"What I'm about to say may seem offputting or forward, and… if it does make you feel this way, I apologize."

Oh, Rachel's mind was shut _off_. Otherwise, the conclusion would have been in-her-face clear.

"I appreciate you saying that," Rachel nodded. "It'll be okay. I'll let you know how it makes me feel."

"Mm hm," Espio hummed with a smile.

He looked down.

"Out with it..." he muttered to himself. This, Rachel could not hear.

He then looked back up at her, opened his mouth to say something, and yet again failed.

He was getting increasingly anxious, to the point where it was starting to worry Rachel.

"Espio?" she asked.

By instinct, she opened her arms. Always the hugger.

Espio would never figure out what made him do it… what in his mind told him to take the action… but his thoughts absolutely frazzled, he nearly tackled Rachel. He sprung forward into her arms and didn't realize what was going on until he realized that he was holding her in a tight squeeze, and that his head was on her shoulder. And he so wanted to let up, to lessen his grip… but something wouldn't let him. Nerves? I-It was like he was paralyzed! He just couldn't. He… needed every Newton of force that went into this.

And Rachel didn't so much as flinch? All she did was return the embrace! She was even… rubbing his back?

Meanwhile, it still hadn't clicked with Rachel. Either that, or the siren of the alarm was growing louder, and Rachel even still refused to accept it. That was becoming kinda hard, though, with the question... S _ince when did Espio hug people?_

Emotions are fickle things, though. Just gotta help those you care about through them. So that's what she'd do.

Pretty quickly, though, Espio was able to take a deep breath and back off… but only enough so that their hands were still on each other's shoulders and their faces were abnormally close. Meaning their hearts were both racing and their faces were beets. Great.

"I-It'll be okay, Espio," Rachel tried to assure him. "I'm..."

She smiled.

"I'm here," she said.

Espio, not moving an inch, heard that and felt every squiggle of disorganization leave his body. There it was. The segway to the truth he was so searching for.

He breathed another sigh… but something more out of a fairytale than a panic attack.

Things… had changed.

He smiled at her and stared deep into her eyes.

"And there lies the point," he said. Different. His voice. _Dreamy._ Happy?

And here it was. The "I can't fight it anymore" moment for Rachel. It caused a change in her facial expression. Her entire face seemed to open up and widen, her eyes going as wide as Chaos Emeralds.

Espio caught on to this change quickly. He removed his left hand from her shoulder and took her arm, moving it until he could hold her hand.

Out with it. And that's what he did with those words.

"These love feelings I've had have been toward you, Rachel."

Rachel could not speak. Like, at all. So… let her get this straight. This man she had been convinced was her answer to, what… three or so years of pain, who then proceeded to cause her another dose of the same pain… of course, with no intention to do so… was now saying he loved _her_?She looked around for a brief moment, seeing that time wasn't zipping by, and nothing was fading away. This… wasn't a dream.

"It started when I met you," Espio sighed again. "When I read your work and found out who you were, I became… your fan, basically. Once I was able to meet you properly, of course… considering our first meeting was not the most beautiful type..."

Rachel chuckled a bit. That was certainly true. That was… just over a year ago now, wasn't it?

"I think I've gotten the most beautiful view of the personality behind the hostess," Espio went on. "You're… a lot more than even you let on. I cursed the thought of being 'tied down' by anyone or falling under such a 'wasteful' trance, but… it'd make sense that a mind so sharp, eyes such beautiful doors to an even more beautiful soul, a voice of music… too many things to list tonight… would finally convince me over to the light side."

...Nothing. Rachel had no words. She was being romanced, that much was clear. Her heart was going all in.

"DO IT!" it cried. "GO IN!"

But it was her mind that held her back.

"Same old trap as before," it told her. "Yes, he's telling you as directly as possible of his feelings for you, but… you know you. You'll ruin it all for yourself. It's not worth it as things stand. You promised you'd escape. Don't do it."

The hissing of a walkie-talkie did all the talking for her. It was even so important that Espio's face went from this expression out of Romeo and Juliet back to the serious (even more irritated than usual, actually) grimace everyone knew. He let go of Rachel and raised his wrist closer to his face, where his communication device probably was. From it came what they both knew to be Vector's voice.

"I'm sorry I gotta interrupt ya," he was saying. "But we've just been approached with an emergency. A lady's been kidnapped, law enforcement thinks the criminal's gonna kill her, and the police want us to chase them down. I gotta ask you to come back here ASAP."

Well, thank Chaos. Rachel didn't have her answer yet.

...But also, OH CHAOS, THAT WAS HORRIBLE.

"Sounds like you gotta go be heroic again," Rachel laughed. "You go do that. I believe in you."

Espio had already grabbed his bag and stood. After hearing this, though, he just had to look back down at her and smile.

"I thank you for hearing me out," he said. "That is… what I had to tell you before you left."

"Understandably so," Rachel laughed again, standing. "Well, good luck!"

In a heartbeat, Espio was dashing off, back in the direction of the detective agency.

And Rachel dropped her cheery facade.

She was torn to shreds over what to do, and it was _painful_.

* * *

 **Author's note: See why I asked about any loose ends? I deliver! I mean, I hope I did good… I started this at, like, 9 something, and it's 1 in the morning now. I've spent 4 hours writing! Hey, go me!**

 **So… for now, this is the end of Thoughts of the Unknown. This is NOT, however, the end of my time with fanfiction. I've come up with several ideas for new things, which I'll start working on this week! And heck… there's a reason I'm leaving the story marked as incomplete. The Sonic Team isn't done with us yet, meaning new characters are bound to make themselves known to us. New characters could mean new possibilities. But for now, though… thank you all so much, best of luck in all of your endeavors, and I hope to see you again.**


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